Escaping Sol
by Ranma15177
Summary: Bella is forever changed by her second encounter with the Volturi. Now it is up to all of the Cullens to find out the secrets of the mysterious Lillith, the intentions of the Volturi, and the fate of the 'Innocent.' Chapter 24 is up!
1. Rising above the Dawn

Rising above the Dawn

A Twilight Fanfiction

By: Ranma15177

This is my first Twilight Fanfiction. I just discovered these books and I am overwhelmed by the depth of the characters and the romance between Edward and Bella…and Jacob.

This is going to have some spoilers for Eclipse…so obviously it will have spoilers for Twilight and New Moon as well. I kind of dropped you right here in the middle of the action. Don't worry. There will be back story that leads around and brings us full circle. I hope. If you get the notion to give me a response make it count. I don't have a beta on this story because my usual girl is just reading the first chapter of Twilight as we speak. Not much help. So, if anyone would like to give me a boost by pointing out errors so that I can fix them, I would be very greatful.

Obviously, I don't own these characters and I'm not making any money off of the creation of this story. It's just for fun…and I have two kids and a husband in college…it would be like squeezing blood from a stone. giggle

BPOV:

For the first time in what felt like months I opened my eyes. None of the burning pain that had accompanied my change into this new life was evident when I flexed my fingers and toes. I felt very stiff, as if every muscle in my body had tensed up at once. Perhaps this was a natural state for one such as I? Maybe my body would forever be stuck in a state of what could only be described as rigger mortis. That is what this was right? Un-life? Vampirism was a cold endless damnation that was meant for an unchanging creature that thirsted endlessly for the blood of their once human companions. This is what I had been told over and over by my love. I want to say that the event itself had not been a surprise. I want to say that I had honestly weighed my options in my hand and made a decision to be like this…but this is not how I had wanted to experience this transformation. I had been left to scream and tear at my body. I saw the bloody hand prints left on the remains of the bedclothes and shivered without feeling cold. I would never feel cold again.

I rose slowly off of the shabby bed that had been the companion of my conversion. It reeked of sweat, blood, and the other fluids of my old life, however I could not blame its state on anyone but myself and perhaps those who had taken me. I took a strange comfort from the wasted mattress and tattered sheets. They had been my only constant companions. When my feet touched the floor I was momentarily shocked that I would only feel the stone under my feet but not the chill that would normally accompany it. I was certain the room was dank and chill…but I could not feel it. I would never feel these things again. Hopefully I would be allowed to eventually walk in the sunshine. To feel the warmth beat down on my marble skin. Right now I had no hopes. I could not afford them. I didn't know what was going to be my fate…if there is even fate for the eternally damned. That is how I felt at the moment anyway. Perhaps this is the reason that Jasper spent all of his time drowning in books on philosophy. Maybe it was the monster and the man making sense out of his own purpose, a kind of personal illumination.

As I looked around myself I noticed that the room was illuminated by its own sort of half light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. It cast everything in a light almost greenish hue. There were no real shadows here. Some of the green was darker…but nothing was cast too dark for me to see. A rodent was scampering in and out of a hole in the wall dragging bits of cloth that I identified as a part of my now completely demolished clothing. It reminded me of the state of my dress, and I looked down at my pale nakedness. The skin on my body seemed to radiate light in the darkness. In some places it glittered and caught my attention as I moved about lightly. I was different now. There was no question of it in my mind. The small bulge of my stomach was gone and was now toned as if I had been to some kind of expert trainer. My legs were sinuous and I could see where they corded in places on my thighs where I had never even imagined that I had muscles, and tapered down to my feet. My feet like white marble against the darkest of grey granite beneath them. Feet that, for the first time in their existence, had not yet caused me to trip. This was despite being tangled in sheets that had been torn and wrapped around themselves in the throws of agony only hours before while my flesh and bones burned from the inside out.

Remembering the shock and pain I had suffered when Aro had sprung forward and sunk his teeth into my chest I looked at my breast to examine any damage that may have followed me into my eternity, but the skin was smooth except for a small indention in the half moon shape of an in-human bite. That small imperfection that I wished I could tear out of my own body. The symbol of my immortality had not been brought to me by my heart's desire. I looked at my palm and saw that this scar too had followed me into forever. The only two marks that would be a part of my living death, and one of them was like a reminder of the life before, it was James' bite. My only evidence of myself as I had been…no, that wasn't true either. I looked at the ring that still adorned my left hand, Edward's ring had not left its place. It had not been stolen from me yet, and it sat there like a promise. It was a symbol, an endless golden circle that sat there as physical evidence of my promise that I was his. To be bound to one another in the most human way possible. Forsaking all others and binding our souls for eternity. What if Edward was right and I had lost my soul? What if Aro had taken the very thing that I had pledged to my love? I was almost surprised by the high keening wail of grief and the feeling of falling as I came to my knees. It didn't hurt to fall anymore, but the pain in my heart…the Edward sized hole that I knew so well was back. Only this time we had been cruelly ripped from one another.

I had almost romanticized my change. It would be a part of my wedding. After we had said our vows and finished saying our goodbyes for the sake of Renee and Charlie, Edward and I would convene in our last human rite. We would finally make love. To be joined as a woman and a man. This deed would be done in the way that Edward and I had decided was the best way to try. Thinking about the discussion we had actually engaged in would have caused me to blush even now, had I been able. There was going to be nothing spontaneous. We had, with much muttering on his part, and an endless stream of blushing on my part, decided on what would happen. It was for my safety. I tried to picture it in my mind and felt my breathing hitch with pain. I had been looking forward to this just as much as I was looking forward to becoming his equal. Carlile had Esme, Jasper had Allice, Rosalie had Emmet, and now Edward would have Bella. It was like the natural order had been reached for everyone. The Volturri had destroyed our happiness as surely as poison. I had wanted Edward, my vampire lover to bring me to his lips and sink his teeth delicately into my waiting flesh. The last week had taken all of that hope and dashed it in the worst ways possible. Kidnapped, hidden away, and transformed into a monster against my will. I was now the shining example of everything I had at one time begged to be. There was nothing romantic about being angry, emotionally destroyed, alone, naked, and thirsting for blood. For that is what I felt now, the burning thirst in the back of my throat that signified my deep inhuman hunger.

Edward would have kept me from the innocent blood of humans. He would have held me back from my endless thirst. The venom filled my mouth at the very thought of feeding. It was becoming painful to the point of anguish. I would be given fresh blood. The Volturri had no compunction about the killing of innocents. After all what was unconscionable about killing a cow? I heard them approaching before they ever came near the door. My mind was becoming a haze. I could only hear the beating heart on the other side of the barred entrance. The palpitating organ was filled with fear. My body picked itself off the floor and crouched waiting for the prize on the other side of the heavy locked portal. I heard a struggle taking place. Whatever they were brining me knew what was waiting on the other side as well. As the lock was pulled back from the door and what I could only picture was a heavy wooden bar was brought back I felt the venom pool against my tongue. I knew it would be like ecstasy. Better than the physical coupling Edward and I had planned.

A young woman was shoved through the door and the lock slammed down behind her. Tears welled from the corner of her eyes and I heard her screaming for Felix. How could he do this? How could he betray her? She wore a torn and bloody suit. It was probably expensive. I was naked. It didn't matter. She threw herself against the door as the wooden beam was brought back across the other side of the locked edifice. She banged and swore and screamed. I growled and she spun toward me. She looked for a second as if she would be sick, and then she cried out my name.

"Bella! Please! Don't do this! Bella!" Gianna cried out and fell to her knees before me, as if I had any choice. Her blood was quick and would make the thirst go away.

I could still hear the fear in her every heartbeat…I could smell it in her very breath. I hissed and she jumped back against the door again even as she was sprawled against the floor. Hadn't she wanted this for herself? Hadn't she wanted to be the monster that I was? I remembered the room full of strangers that she had willingly, probably smilingly, led to their destruction. Heidi had brought them past her desk just as surely as I had walked past with Alice and Edward. How could she possibly plead to me? How was this any different? This was sweet revenge for the souls that she had thrown to the pits of hell. I would be their sweet adjudicator. I sprung forward and tore the distraught receptionist's clothes away from her throat. I prepared to sink my teeth deeply into her skin and tear away the flesh. To taste the sanguine liquid that pumped life through her body.

Then I heard it. The sweetest voice I had ever known.

"NO BELLA!" It was Edward. He was going to save me. This was no different than cliff diving. No different from placing myself in any other danger. I clutched at my head and felt the venom sliding down my throat. "FIGHT IT!"

I curled into a ball and locked my arms around my legs. Edward would speak to me when the draw was at its most virulent. Every time it felt as if I could not hold back he would call out to me and I would cower from myself. I rocked back and forth letting the endless moment pass. The woman cowering before me did the same. I let out a small vocalization of my misery. I don't know how long we sat there Gianna and I. Each one lost in pain and misery. Each moment her heart beat became more steady, and so did I. Slowly I looked up at her. She was still alive with her fear.

"This is what you wanted to be? This is what you yearned for?" I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. It was the first thing I had said in this new body of mine. I sounded more lyrical than I remember. I was expecting to croak a bit from the experience of the last few days…but I was obviously physically over it.

"How is this even possible? What are you? How can you sit there and fight the hunger?" She almost brought up a hand to touch me and I snarled. I had heard her pulse get closer and I didn't want that. I wanted to sink my teeth into the waiting skin and take what had been rightfully given to me. My head snapped back down toward Gianna.

"STOP BELLA!" Edward cried out against my desires. They faded once again. I rocked gently back and forth.

"You would rather that I just let go?" I let my head fall back again.

"Definitely not, although I will meet the same end if they find you and I in here alone together. They will not let me live now that they have decided to kill me." She seemed very sure of her death now that she had calmed down enough to get used to the idea. I hoped that she had just lost her mind with fear.

"Don't get all snack-like on my account. I'm not waiting for you to get groggy and lethargic just to suck your blood when you get bored. I'm expending a lot of energy that I really don't have right now. Why don't you waste your efforts in a different way…Like figuring out how we escape?" It was becoming easier to be around this despicable creature. Edward would be very proud of me.

"There is no way out of this room. That door could stand up to three newborn vampires. There is nothing for me and you but to wait here and let fate decide."

I gave her a very narrow glare at that statement. "Fate is doing too much decision making for me lately. I don't like it at all. I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon attacking a moose right now in the Alaskan wilderness…not deciding whether or not to turn you into a la carte. Please stop trying to make yourself seem tasty."

Gianna seemed to think about this for a second and I knew that she was weighing her options again. "How would you leave Volterra without being noticed? What would you do to set us free? Most importantly…we are in no visual shape to be seen outside right now. The sun is high in the sky…and you have no clothes. I look like I have been beaten. I can't even believe I am alive to have this conversation…" She looked at me as if I were some kind of unusual animal.

"What if we didn't beat aimlessly against the door? What if we took it apart?" I had seen the movie Ever After. It gave me hope against big old doors. Of course the hinge was not on my side. I would be forced to improvise. I stood and examined the door. It was every bit as solid as Gianna had made it seem. Until I started to peel back the metal braces on the wood. Each band of metal slowly pulled away from the door and the thick nails and screws that bound it together. I was taking apart a very old very historic door…with my fingers. It was a little strange…but also liberating.

"What are we supposed to do when we are done taking apart the door? Run for the rest my life? You think they won't just go back to Forks and find the Cullen family wherever they go? Aro wants you! He has seen your potential. There is nothing that he won't do now that he has seen all of this." Gianna pointed to herself and then to the door.

"Well…that's why I'm going to go see him." The woman stared at me in shock. I was not doing anything positive for her blood pressure. It was going through the roof again.

"WHY?" The woman looked at me with a crazed gleam in her eyes. "You think he went to all of this trouble just to give up?"

"I think he'll understand his position when I explain it to him. I want my family back. I want peace. He took everything from me…" I was getting angry and snarling slightly in the recently viciously fired secretary's face. She cowered away from me and Edward came into my mind again, cooling the fires of my thirst. "I am leaving. I am going back to Forks, getting married, and then saying goodbye to my Mom and Dad. Then I am going to Alaska with my husband. I don't particularly care what has been planned for me here in Voterra. I want to go home…if there is anything left to go home to."

The planks started coming away from the frame and I set them in a neat pile by the opening. For some reason I couldn't just tear apart such an old and persevering piece of history. Maybe it was my usual respect for stuff that was older than me. I stepped into the hallway my hair blowing gently in the drafty portal. I began my walk away from the room I had been "reborn" in and Gianna got up and cowered behind me as I walked freely, nakedly, up the stairs and toward what I hoped was the unmistakable scent of Aro.

Feel free to tell me what you think. I hope I left you at a good place. I will respond to any questions you might have as quickly as possible. I am a wife and mother first so please be patient.


	2. Breaking the Surface

Escaping Sol

Breaking the Surface

A Twilight Fanfiction

By: Ranma15177

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Chapter 2 is going to take us into a new perspective. Wish me luck with this one. Again, I do not own the characters from the Twilight series.

Thank you to everyone who responded. It made me feel all warm and squishy. Also it made me feel eager to continue.

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EPOV:

It has been a few days since I moved. My family has allowed me my quiet contemplation. They have not since that third day, even so much as approached me. Sometime on the second day Carlisle came to sit with me. He didn't say anything. He was just as full of pain as I was. His eyes searched endlessly in the water, just like mine did, waiting to see some sign of her body there amongst the waves and rocks. Esme, I had seen in his mind, sat just staring out the window toward the mountains. It had been some time since she had stirred. When he had asked after her she had looked up and whispered. "I have lost them both." He had come out here after that. He and I did not speak. We didn't have to. '_This_ _is going to destroy him._' Is the only thing that he thought before leaving. I knew that he was right, so I said nothing either. I have been staring out at the sea for an answer that has not been forthcoming. I had once thought of school as purgatory. Now I knew for certain that I had moved beyond a no man's land in Catholic dogma. I was in hell.

I sat next to the very place that Jacob saw Jane throw Bella's body. I had been unable to do anything but sit here and wait. I would wait until her body was found. I would bury her in the cold ground here in Forks, and I would sit here for eternity waiting to catch a glimpse of her spirit here where she died. I don't really believe in ghosts. Certainly someone who happens to be a vampire has no business deciding which myths are real and which are not, however it's been my experience that I've had no such experience. I would wait here until I did. I had not broken down. My hell was silent.

"Hey." It was Jacob again. I wish that he would leave me alone like my family had. Unfortunately he seemed to have elected himself as my shadow. He held himself responsible for Bella's death. On some level I wished I did too. It would make it easier to hate Jacob Black. Unfortunately I knew better. Jacob would have gladly died for her sake that day. He had fought against the Volturri guard valiantly. He had tried to spare me this pain. No, he had tried to save Bella. It was the same thing to me though, and so I was grateful. I already owed Jacob much. Too much, because he had seen it, and without his mind, without his thoughts I would never have known. They would have simply come for her and she would have just disappeared. I would have never known where she'd gone…just that she had.

"Jacob." It was the most I'd said to him. I hadn't spoken to him in the last few days of my sitting here. I hadn't spoken to him while I had been hunting for traces of my Bella in the sea. It was all I did on August 13th. I swam through the water looking for her all throughout our wedding day. I saw what Jacob had seen. Her body sailed like a rag doll over the cliff face after the one amongst the Volturri guard that I didn't know had snapped her neck. I believed Jacob had told us the truth not just because he had been witness to her death, but because he too came here to grieve. Here amongst the dead and the eternally damned.

"Hey…It isn't like I enjoyed the silent treatment or anything, but I can't help but notice that there are words escaping your mouth." Jacob sat down next to me on the ground. It had rained again leaving the ground soggy. I stared off toward the horizon wondering when the silent pain of my suffering would end. "I know how you feel. It's kind of like you can't breathe…like nothing is going to be alright. Never again."

How could this mongrel possibly know how I feel? Bella was supposed to be my wife by now. She and I were going to Alaska to see the northern lights and begin her new life with me. I had a tormenting vision of her sliding down over my body as her fingers slowly opened my shirt. We had made plans. She and I were going to join as a woman and man. We had made an agreement. She and I were going to be together for an eternity. Now all I had to look forward to was this emptiness. "No…you have no concept of how I feel Jacob. You couldn't possibly fathom what this is like for me."

"Sure, sure because she isn't dead for just you, right? The rest of us can't possibly feel like the world just ended huh? You know what you filthy bloodsucker…" The anger was rolling off of Jacob Black like water. I broke eye contact with the fathomless ocean and looked over at the angry young wolf-boy. As our eyes met and he looked into my face it stopped. He whipped his head back toward the sea. "Stop looking at me like that. Stop telling me to kill you with your eyes. I won't do it. One hundred years is a long time to wait for someone. I'm not gonna' argue with that. I only waited over the course of six months for a smile. Maybe I don't know what it's like. She loved you right? She loved you more than me, more than Charlie and her Mom, and more than life itself. She was going to give that up last week right? You were going to make her like you?"

I looked at the way his eyes narrowed. I couldn't help feeling that we had both been broken beyond repair but that Jacob had been that way for a little longer than me. "Yes…That's how it was going to be. It's what she wanted. Somehow she thought it would bring us equality. It's funny. She always seemed to be under this horrible misconception that I was better than her. I thought she was perfect. I didn't want this for her." Jacob looked back at me with shock in his eyes. "Don't be so surprised Jacob Black. Just because you think I'm a complete monster with no heart and soul doesn't mean I can't be self aware." I looked back into the churning waves. "I didn't want her to lose her soul either." Jacob jumped up from his place by the ocean and glared at the forest behind us. Alice walked through the undergrowth and leaned against the tree closest to us.

"Hey, Alice." Jacob walked forward and Alice hugged the large man as my eyes popped. How could so much have changed in the space of a week? How was it that the destruction of everything that I held dear resulted in this? Alice pulled back with a grimace and so did Jacob "You stink." They both said at the same time and both let a smile pass their lips. There was no laughter. The laughter was absent from our lives. Bella was the one who had brought about this strange truce in us and she had taught us how to laugh together, even tenuously. The two of us were mortal enemies, but in the face of our grief we were the same. Both sides lost in limbo until answers were gained. "Are you here to cheer us up again? If you are then you can turn around and find somewhere else to be."

Alice tried to look offended, but her misery was in her eyes before I could agree with Jacob. The thought that I could actually agree with anything that the young werewolf said gaining more in my opinion that Bella had created a sort of magic in us. Something was different about us and the pack. We had worked together, fought together, and now we were grieving together. Something was pulling us into a strange partnership. I looked up at Alice and said the first words I had to her in a week. "Please Alice. Tell me that you've seen something. Give me hope that there is a chance that this is all some kind of nightmare."

She looked out at the sea and said something I had not expected. "It's not a nightmare. You can't wake up, because you can never sleep. Nothing is going to make this just go away. Edward, I want revenge. I want to break and demolish and destroy. I want to find Jane and twist her head free from her undead shoulders and I want you to help me light the match. I'll go alone if that's what I have to do. I didn't see this coming. I should have seen this coming!" She looked slightly hysterical. She was sobbing dryly and Jacob was holding her small shoulders as she began to advance toward me. "I want to witness their demise with my own eyes. Please Edward! Stand with me and fight back."

"Finally!" Emmett came crashing through the bushes clapping Jacob on the back. "I knew we would finally come to this conclusion. Let's take the fight to them! You don't just come into Forks and start shit with the Cullen family. Are you guys going to come with us Jacob?" He was still holding Alice's shoulders but his mood darkened and I saw images of Bella's death flash before his eyes, and each face that had been executioner or witness at the slaughter of my bride to be. The pure hate and joy that it elicited in him to imagine himself, teeth flashing and tearing through their bodies as we cut a bloody swath through our revenge sent a feeling of pain through me. Emmett continued talking and began pacing. "I want you guys to come Jacob. Get Sam. Tell them we're going together! They will never expect a bunch of Vampires to come to Volterra with a big pack of Werewolves. They won't know what hit them."

"No." It was Jasper. I was beginning to feel very crowded. The thoughts and now emotions of everyone around me were becoming cloying. I felt like tearing into my flesh or throwing myself over the cliff to join Bella in the churning sea. Why were they all here now? What had drawn them all here after all this time? Perhaps they were finished grieving. "What the Volturi do for the Vampires is irreplaceable. They can't be extinguished. We would be lawless monsters without them."

Alice hissed and struck Jasper. "How dare you!" His eyes were wide and a feeling of desperate pain filled my senses. Everyone reeled with it. "Emmett is right! We should be storming their gates and destroying everything that they are. What gives them the right to pass judgment? What is going to stop them from coming here and destroying the rest of us? What is going to stop them from coming here to take me from you Jasper?" She tore completely free from Jacob's hands and clutched at her husband. "MY SISTER! They killed my sister Jasper! Surely you would feel differently if they had torn me apart and lit me on fire? Or maybe it doesn't matter to you what happens?" A wave of torment slid through my already muddled thoughts. "I will go with them to Volterra…whatever you might say Jasper. I have to find justice. This was their brand of justice Jasper. I will not stand by another minute…"

"I'll go with you Alice, Emmett. I want to speak for my brothers…but I can't. I will go to Sam and beg if I have to. I want what Alice wants. I want revenge. If they hadn't beaten me so badly I would have protected her…I'm sorry I failed." Jacob shivered for a second and morphed into a wolf driving through the self same bushes that had probably been the last bushes to touch my Bella's skin alive. They had probably stuck to her clothes and scratched her skin. I could smell her dried blood on them. A vicious howl broke the silence that had suddenly occurred in the clearing. Waves struck the shore.

"Alice, please! Please reconsider this. I can't lose you. I can't live in this existence without you by my side. I remember what it was like. The emptiness…" Jasper was still standing there with Alice in his arms, for his hands had come to clutch her shoulders like hers had been clutched to his. "We can't disturb the order of things. This is a reminder of that order. I loved Bella too Alice. I loved her like a sister. But the Volturi had warned us before that we were to make a decision in their time. You didn't see when that time would be. Now, there is nothing we can do for her."

"One day Jasper! ONE! It isn't fair!" She fell to her knees next to me and shuddered with muted sobs.

"I'll go wherever you go love." I heard him mutter and fall next to her. His arms secure around her shoulders. "I'll die for you if it's what you want, and I'll wait for you on the other side…wherever it is that we go…" Jasper whispered into her hair. _'I was only put here to love you. I can do that in hell just as well as I can do it here_.' His thoughts made me wish I could be in heaven with Bella. Be wherever it was that she was. Feel my arms around her warmth. Her blush filled my senses. I couldn't hold back any longer. A long keening wail that I didn't know I'd been holding back filled the silence. Sobs wracked my shoulders. I wanted to cry. I wanted to destroy this place that was full of the last moments of Bella's screams. I wanted to kill the Volturi. I wanted…to die.

"Edward." It was Emmett. He was holding me like a child with my head against his chest. The giant hollow chest with no heart…but that was filled with more conviction and care for me than I could probably fathom. My hands had torn through the dirt and I was clawing at the ground. My family was suddenly around me. Carlisle had come to my other side and pulled me into his arms. I didn't fight it. Emmett remained with his hand on my arm Jasper and Alice were behind me. Esme and Rosalie burst through the trees and fell onto us. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted them to know the depths of this grief I felt. I kept trying to speak but all I could do was shudder, cry out, and sob endlessly. Now that the floodgates had been opened I didn't know how to stop them. Their thoughts were all the same. Thoughts spared on my behalf.

'_I will do anything for you Edward. I will go to the ends of the earth to make this right. Bella was going to be your other half, like Esme to me. I won't let you suffer alone.'_

_'I have never known this kind of peace. I won't lose Alice, but I won't lose you either Edward. I love you both.'_

_'Hell here we come. I will fight anyone that comes near us again. Edward is going to get his peace.'_

_'How will we ever survive this? Bella made her choice…I may not have agreed with it…but it was hers to make. This is worse than my story. Worse because someone was left in this world to grieve.'_

_'I will destroy their happiness just like they destroyed ours. I will see this through to the end. Bella, my sister…I promise to make them suffer.'_

_'My family. My Edward. I will make this right…and then I will let you go…if that is what you need. I understand your grief far better than anyone. The sorrow of losing a child is much like the anguish of losing a lover. You have seen what it did to me, how I reacted.'_

I fell against them. My head laid back, and the emotions flooding through me. For once Jasper just reciprocated. Everyone shuddered against my pain. It flooded me. I cried out and it was like their hands were holding me together. I felt as if I was flying apart and because Jasper was there they were sharing in this feeling. It was terrifying. Esme gasped against the raw emotion. "My son. God…my son." My head was in her lap and stared sightlessly at the clouds above. Rain began to fall on our collected mass the clouds weeping in a way that we could not. A pile of arms and legs, torsos and heads that had passed away long ago but left to feel everything that was human with no way to express it. Suddenly it wasn't enough to lay there with them. I had to explain what I was feeling. If they could hear the things I had been silently contemplating maybe they would see just how horrified I was with the prospect of living through this.

"Bella. My Bella. WHY? Why would anyone do this? Why did they come for her and leave me here? Why couldn't they have killed me too? If this is my punishment I would have gladly taken her place. I would have died for her or at least I would have died with her. I swear to God I would have! WHY?" It was like the pain was throbbing through us and when the wolf pack arrived there by the ocean cliff they ducked down their bodies as if the emotion was flattening them to the ground. The large russet wolf that I knew was Jacob crawled forward through the waves of pain and curled up next to us. He wanted to feel this. He wanted to know what it was like to be me. I heard it in his head. He wanted to share in my pain for Bella's sake. "Dear God! Where is she? Why can't we find her body? Why can't I even have that? Is what I had planned so against God that he is punishing me?"

"Edward, No!" It was Carlisle. "God is merciful and loving. I don't believe for one second that he would punish one such as you. You who have chosen to live this unending life of ours by upholding life. By adhering to the laws of Moses and Abraham, you have never turned your back on Him. Why would he punish you?"

"What about my rebellion Carlile? What of that? I have felt the glory of man's blood sliding down my throat. I am no angel! I am an abomination! I am a demon! Perhaps this is my penance for my time in the darkness. Maybe I am not made to love!" As I said the words my anger flared and Jasper crumpled against Alice. "Remember the sorrow I brought to her? Remember the pain and the darkness she walked through to save me just recently?"

"Edward…she wanted this." This time the voice was Alice. Her tone was small and full of pain. She shuddered against Jasper's crumpled form. "She loved you so much. Bella wanted you just as much as you wanted her. Don't say those things anymore. I won't let you. Don't hurt her. She deserves better than that Edward."

_'I know. I won't let the pain of this stop me though. I'll do this for you. I'll do this for her, because you are what she wanted. I never thought I would ever say this…but I am going to fight for the sake of you both. She won't know peace until you do."_ He made no movements but I could feel the finality in his statement. He would fight until there was nothing left. Her Jacob. Her miniature sun.

I felt my body curling into itself and the pain stopped flooding through us. I was alone with it again. Alone but for the russet wolf lying next to me eyes fixed on the sea, on the horizon. Jasper had finally closed down. He let a wave of comfort cover us. I didn't feel it like everyone else. I just laid there wishing someone would end this. Emmett turned toward the pack and raised his fist in the air and let out a snarl. It was followed by howling in every direction.


	3. A Strange Compromise

Escaping Sol

A Strange Compromise

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

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BPOV

I walked through the drafty old stronghold noticing my sure steps. I never tripped up the stairs; never fell over my own feet. The only thing that could have possibly been more disconcerting than my steady feet was Gianna's unsteady ones. She constantly fell or stumbled along the stones of the hall. Only my strange mental quirk was keeping her alive…and she wasn't creeping me out just because she was clumsy. That I could definitely on some level identify with. Only a few days ago I had tripped over my own feet and nearly gone careening down the stairs to my doom. The only thing that had stopped that was Edward. Even thinking his name caused the hole in my un-beating heart to fray at the edges. Would I ever see him again? Was I going to be hidden here in Voltera forever? They could definitely hide me for as long as it took for the Cullen family to give up. They would probably tell them that they had made their decision. That I had gone wherever the tourists that day had gone. The other thing that was creeping me out about my compatriot was that she didn't seem to know whether I was protecting her or saving her for later and she seemed to be switching philosophies on each floor we visited.

"You're terrifying her. Maybe that's why she's so manic." Edward whispered in my ear.

I could only imagine Edward's pain and guilt if he was lead to believe they'd killed me. I whimpered out of true despair. It was the first time I had made a noise since leaving my cell. What if he hurt himself? What if he demanded for someone to destroy him? Would Carlisle allow it? I started to uselessly hyperventilate. Unfortunately this opened the floodgate of smells onto my already thirst crazed brain anew. I had spent the entire time so far walking down the hall with the ex-receptionist while creepily not breathing and wishing I had just drunk her blood instead of waiting for Edward's approval. What was one tasty bookkeeper after all? It was all relative, especially if she was right and they were just going to kill her the moment I walked through the door with her. I forced myself to stop hyperventilating for the sake of my companion...Edward's voice.

"Bella darling, you're going to make it worse." He was right.

No, the truth about my not killing the woman stumbling behind me was that I knew my family half-way around the world would disapprove. They would be very disappointed. Could Edward possibly call me anything more than a monster if I gave in now? Without doubt all of the words he'd called me before would no longer apply, Angel, certainly never again. Carlisle would be accepting, but pitying. Esme would love me regardless, but she would get that worried crease on her beautiful brow. Jasper would probably be upset…not because I ate Gianna. Of anyone in my family he would understand that particular lapse in judgment. No, Jasper would be angry because he lost the bet with Emmett because I only ate Gianna...Oh…that was a very morbid thought. Emmett didn't think me capable of a mass killing, or maybe he thought himself capable of stopping me.

"We would never let you hurt anyone if it were in our power to stop you. Emmett loves you. Jasper loves you. He doesn't want to be the one screwing up…but he doesn't want you screwing up either." I believed that.

Of course I felt, no I was certain, that if I did in fact indulge in what every sense I had was begging me to do it would end in glorious red liquid dripping down my throat. Saturating every thirsty inch of my hunger with intense hot wet abandon and calming the demon that was screaming inside my head that I was owed what pumped uselessly through the creature next to me.

"Bella. Don't think about the hunger. Think about your family. Think about me." It was Edward again. He was right. If I kept vacillating back to thoughts of the sweet blood in Gianna's veins I would most certainly fail.

I distantly wondered again what it was Emmett and Jasper were betting with. Rosalie would already be fierce, but I figure it's mostly due to my being a vampire. According to her I was supposed to be doing my hair and birthing babies, and now that was definitely out of the picture, with or without Edward's help. I gave another shudder at my love's name. When he wasn't talking to me it hurt to think of him. Alice…OH! ALICE! What grizzly scenes had she already seen? Me, probably driving my teeth through tender flesh and savaging the woman behind me like some kind of red eyed demon? Wait…ALICE!!! But why had she not come for me yet? Alice had always been able to see me before. Obviously they had not been able to see my abduction because of Jacob, but what would have caused them to neglect me here now? Had they been hurt as well?

"We would never leave you alone to face this nightmare." I knew that.

That is why my fiancée's name made me hurt so much. He hadn't come for me. If he hadn't come for me, then it was possible that they had killed him. It was the only way I could picture them getting away with this. I ached with the thought. If the Volturri had hurt my family I would spend every day of my immortality planning ways to destroy them. I pictured Edward being ripped apart like I had seen the newborns, and I walked ever faster down the hall. I began walking back and forth between the walls as well as down the hall. Weaving a pattern down toward where I knew there would be a bank of elevators and then a reception hall.

"You aren't at you're most perceptive right now. Do you know where you are love?" Yes. I knew.

I realized at that moment that I had something that no one in this building had. It wasn't bloodlust. I was pretty sure we all had that in common and at this point I was pretty sure that it was my super secret ability. I looked back at Gianna and inhaled. She whimpered. No, I had surprise on my side…like the fact that I was dragging my intended dinner with me like a to-go cup. Or the startling detail of my nudity. That might throw them for a couple of seconds. It would have made me come up short. Or it could even be something as small as the notion that I had gotten through a door that according to the wibbling woman behind me couldn't be broken by three newborn vampires, and I was just one. Really surprise would have to do right now because I didn't know how to fight, or tell the future, or read minds. I cried out and began running up a small set of carpeted stairs.

"I could never read your mind." It was because I didn't work right. _'Maybe you're a part of that.'_

As we ascended to a floor where there was carpet that I recognized, I walked out into a hallway that could have been in any office building. There were many doors that reminded me lightly of a hotel. Each one seemed to need a key card. Hmmm. They give me ancient expensive wood when they could simply settle for particle board and time released locks. I began to wonder if it was out of respect or nostalgia. Gianna's heart was going at a million miles an hour now. Each floor seemed to bring with it a new reason for faster palpitation. At this stage I kind of wondered if I had simply saved her only to have her frail human heart explode. Either way, I guessed I was getting closer and chuffed lightly when Edward reminded me once again that Gianna was indeed a person and not a treat. I was so pleased to hear his voice after the grim mental picture that I stopped and closed my eyes. Gianna tripped into me and shrieked when I hissed at her for interrupting me.

"NO! She's just frightened! Bella STOP!" I did stop.

It was at this point that I made the startling revelation that I might be losing my mind. Of course this would be considered something completely permissible at this point. I mean, I had been kidnapped and killed just recently. I started to stumble a bit along the hallway as I began to sob tearlessly. I wasn't entirely sure if one could get an M.P.D from turning into a vampire. It made sense in a weird kind of way. Maybe the Edward in my head was like Bella2 or something equally messed up. Even then, would I be treatable? I could only imagine Carlisle strapping me down to a couch with barbed wire asking me about Renee. Remembering Renee made me happy. I remembered my mother. For some reason this caused me to chuckle. This caused Gianna to start pulling against me and trying to break free. Now we weaved back and forth through the hall going forward but in a crazy sort of listless pull and drag that was probably reminiscent of some kind of comedy skit. Only one of us was crying and screaming.

"It's not funny. Believe me." I did know my Edward, but I didn't know how to stop now.

"Let me go! Please!" Gianna pulled her arm uselessly from against my grip. Her legs were no longer propelling her forward and I was dragging her down the hall as she leaned back against my weight. It was the first time anyone had ever done that and gotten a negative result. A hazy memory came back to me. I was pushing against someone or something while they forced their lips against mine, and feeling frustrated. It scared me because I couldn't remember who was kissing me at that moment. Was I losing memories this quickly? "Don't take me in there! I don't want to go! You're losing control already…I can tell! I can't go in there with them. They'll tear me into pieces!" My sanity was being torn into pieces.

"You're here. You don't need to struggle anymore. My Bella. Let go of her." Edward's voice reminded me that this was the room we had met Aro in before.

"Well. This is the place. Let's go Gianna!" She screamed. I threw the woman in ahead of me and walked into the tower room with the grate and pulled the large door closed behind me.

"Bella! Finally!" Aro was sitting in the wooden throne in front of me. Nothing was different from the last time I was here except for me. Now I was a blood crazed naked vampire. I was at a bit of a disadvantage. Unfortunately my earlier summation seemed to be wrong. Being naked, strong, and surprising was apparently not going to do it for me here in the heart of Voltera. They had already known I was on my way up. "Did you get lost dear?" I shook my head and had the distinct feeling that Aro wasn't talking down to me. "Felix, please pick up Gianna off the ground and bring her to me. I think our lovely newborn Bella needs a visual aid." The vampire to my left whom I remembered was Felix brought the woman harshly up off her knees. She scrabbled against the floor with her feet and made pathetic cries as she tried to get free. "Now Bella, you will find that I am a doting father. I want you to be happy. Can you just imagine what Edward would say if I brought you back in this condition? Crazy and not very happy, and as we watched you on the monitors I think it's pretty clear which road you are headed down. Ha! Ha! Ha!" The laugh I had remembered from the last internment here did not remind me of happier times. He was suddenly serious. "Watch carefully dear."

"Please no!" I wasn't sure if I had cried out or the struggling woman. Gianna's neck snapped like a small twig in the old shale like hands and Aro ripped open her throat with his teeth. I shuddered against what instinct told me was right and what Edward screamed was wrong. Blood dripped slowly over his chin. I was jealous for his indulgence.

The leader of the Volturi held up Gianna toward me. "Drink. She's already dead, but the blood is still warm. It won't hurt. It will make the thirst go away darling girl." I shook my head and slumped over again rocking gently as I felt myself flying apart inside. "Oh, Good Lord, what has Carlisle done to the younger generation in the New World? Felix?" The seeming fragile hands of the older vampire held the woman up and he drank her blood as if he were holding a chalice. When he was done he threw the body down on the floor and Felix pushed her through the grate below. I cried out. I didn't know Gianna. I definitely didn't like her, but no one deserved to die like that. It was then that I remembered the inference that the young woman in the expensive suit had made. Felix had been her lover. My eyes widened in shock. "You look horrified. Please before you assume that I am some kind of disgusting monster, which I'm sure you already believe me to be, allow me to make it up to you."

"How? How could you betray her like that Felix?" The named vampire looked at me in mild irritation. Aro smiled at me like I was his favorite new toy.

"I figure we're just about even from where I stand." I was even more shocked by his answer…that seemed to suggest that this tie had meant nothing. The woman whom I supposed had loved him was nothing to him.

"Felix, please, I'm sure that after suffering through the change you would understand that she is still very confused. She would understand better if we were a little less abrasive. Let us be the example. The…reserve…" He rolled his eyes and then smiled in my direction as if he were doing something for me. Like a father would give a daughter a gift.

"Yes my Lord Aro." Felix bowed out and disappeared, returning seconds later carrying something.

"I first want to clear up some misinterpretations…things are not quite as they seem to you now. Also, we must get you something to feed upon. Believe it or not you're going to need your strength if you are going to proceed. My boy?" He seemed loath to do it, but Aro pointed in my direction. I feared something terrible. I was probably going to develop an issue with the word 'feed'. I was sure that I was going to be taken aback when the old man said anything about feeding. Afraid, at this point, that he would come up with something more horrifying to tempt my new palate, something like babies…or children. I was surprised when my arm was full of cat, some kind of domesticated house cat. Not a mountain lion, or a grizzly bear, but a house cat. "Please dear, make do for now. Just do as I showed you and get the crazies out?" He laughed at his joke. I looked down at the cat in my hands, shrugged my shoulders because Edward did not stop me now, and did as I was asked. Some part of me shied away from the thought that this might be someone's pet. Edward's voice seemed to fade further in my now blood sated haze, and I began to panic.

I must have looked like I had gone two steps back because Aro looked at me with true concern in his eyes. "Now, now Bella Cullen. We made a deal you and I."

"No! You stole me from my home, and my wedding, and ruined my life! I REMEMBER! You turned me into a blood sucking fiend, and most probably killed my family. I just ate a cat! Oh, poor Charlie! Edward!" I fell into a heap on the floor and shuddered against the pain stroking the fur on the carcass. "Besides that…I'm still Bella Swan. I never…" I looked down at the thing I was petting and threw it away from me.

"Nonsense Bella, I would no more kill Carlisle and his family than I would cut off something vital from my own body. There are no reports of the untimely death of your father Charlie, and there is no purpose in killing him…Unless you have been sharing family secrets?" I shook my head abruptly. "If you want to hear the whole story you're going to have to be calm." I watched as each one of the Volturi filed into the room, and Aro, Caius, and Marcus, nighttime patrons of the arts stood before me once again, but somehow I couldn't help but notice that there were some obvious missing persons.


	4. The Waiting Game

Escaping Sol

The Waiting Game

A Twilight Fanfiction

By: Ranma15177

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I was hoping that I would get out two chapters this weekend so that I would be happy with my progress. Unfortunately when it rains it pours. My mother called me absolutely bereft with grief on Friday at around noon (I'm a third shift worker so think about it like someone calling you at around midnight). She was losing her job and needs me to buy her house…I remind you about the husband in college. This is going to be a long year.

Thank you again to everyone that either left a comment or made me a favorite or even added me as a chapter update. I like to think that someone out there is enjoying what I'm writing. Some of you are even telling me that you are enjoying it. Rock on! So here we are back in Edward land where things aren't nearly as emo as they were yesterday. The plot thickens.

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EPOV:

I watched the sun come up over the horizon. It was a clear day, and so the rising sun glanced off of my skin and shot into a million rainbows. It was probably visible from miles away over the ocean. I was waiting for Alice to come back from Bella's father's house. When Charlie had returned home from getting Renee from the airport he had immediately called the police, for what looked to be a home invasion. For 24 hours after Chief Swan returned to find his living room in shambles and his windows broken out he waited calmly to make his missing persons report with suspected foul play. He had hoped in vain that I was the culprit again. Maybe she had simply decided that Alice's wedding torture was too much. Perhaps we had eloped and the state of his house was a coincidence. He called my house relentlessly on the day of the wedding. At four in the morning Charlie asked every question that he could about the last time we had seen her. Asked each one of my family members if we had noticed any unusual behavior, and in this conversation he was definitely Charlie, father of a missing girl. After confirming that we didn't know anything, and pretending that this was the first we'd heard of her being gone, my family began the task of making ourselves innocent of her status. It felt like a horrible lie when Carlisle told me. The Volturri coming for Bella was every bit my fault. She would have been turned after graduation if not for my selfishness. Me and my ridiculous demands had led my poor love to ruin.

Alice had called everyone very early in the morning. She had told our guests that no one had seen Bella, and there would be no wedding because the Bride was no where to be found. Charlie had called later that day, not as a father but as Chief of Police Swan. I was not home…but it made no difference. Carlisle was and he had pretended to be me. He had told Charlie that we didn't know where Bella was….it was only really a half truth. Staring out into the sea and knowing that she was somewhere out there in the tides wasn't really knowing her location. That was the day that I looked for her corpse in the water with no results. It was easy for Carlisle to be the terrified and upset version of me, because he was absolutely mortified that the Volturri had done such a horrible thing in the first place. He felt deep remorse at the loss in the family. It was like he had lost a daughter…just like Charlie. The next day Charlie called again asking that I be brought into the station for questioning. Carlisle had said that I was incapable, that I had lost consciousness when I'd realized that I'd been left at the altar or that something had happened to my fiancée, another lie to compound the other lies.

I suffered for Charlie, because his mental state was probably in just about the same shape as mine, he was under the strange impression that Bella had been kidnapped. That she was not dead. That there was something he could do for her, or something he could affect about the situation. He had told Alice that the front picture window had been obviously broken by some kind of crazy cult or a group of intruders. How he had come to this conclusion was anyone's best guess, but in a way he was right. I had only just recently been filled in that he'd wanted to question me, but that thus far Carlisle had told him I'd been catatonic. It was close enough to the truth. Of course Charlie would think I'd had something to do with the horrible situation. Again, he was right. He couldn't know anything about the Volturri. Couldn't know how close he was about her being taken…but he didn't know what Jacob knew, and because of the circumstances behind the situation he would never find out. I just wish I could have hope like Charlie's. I wish I could pretend that there was something to be done. I would probably have to go to see Chief Swan once my sister returned. I tried to remember everything I'd been told. It was all like a haze in my thoughts. I'd never felt this muddled in all of the time since I'd returned to Bella, since I'd tried to kill myself in Italy. Now, for the sake of my family I would have to focus myself, to tell the ultimate lies.

Charlie had been picking up Renee at the airport when Bella was murdered, and Renee had not left yet, stuck in Forks because she didn't know what else to do. Alice says that she believes that Renee knows her daughter is dead. That she knew from the moment she had landed at the airport. Renee had said she could feel a sort of dread in the air, like she'd had to fight for air. She felt as if she'd been strangled or drugged. Just to humor Charlie she had suggested that the feeling may have been like the effects of chloroform. There are many reports of mothers being hyper aware of their children. If Renee had been party to the information that we were she would probably be terrified by her own revelation. I shivered as I thought about what Jacob had seen, Bella's struggles with her unknown hooded assailant. It made me angry to see him allow her to struggle. It was cruel, she would have known that it was futile, but it didn't stop her from trying. The fact that Bella's neck had been snapped and it had been the catalyst that ended her life was very uncomfortably close to what Renee had suggested.

They had arrived home after everything had happened and a little before we had found Jacob by the cliff. He was in horrible shape, and it was the first time anyone had seen him in weeks, as established by Sam when he'd arrived. Alice had seen nothing, as was usual with the wolves, but it was impossible to miss the smell of Jacob's blood, or of Bella's. We had been on our way to the house to pick up Bella and her mother for the party that Renee had planned for her daughter. Bella hadn't been keen on the idea but she'd acquiesced because I'd reminded her that it was one of the last times she would be able to hang out with her mother. When we arrived and found the windows broken I had all but panicked and collapsed. We quickly picked out the scent of Jane, Demitri, one we didn't know, Bella, and Jacob. I followed it with Alice at my heels and dreading what lay ahead of me. At first I had thought that Jacob was to blame, but as he'd regained consciousness and shared his mind with me…I clutched at my sides. I was always holding myself together now, waiting for the thought or emotion that would have a physical effect that would match the mental one. I wondered if it were physically possible for me to break apart.

I wasn't sure how I was going to react when Charlie asked me the questions that I knew were going to come soon. Did I believe that my fiancée was taken against her will? What was I doing that day, and did I have any other corroboration than that of my siblings? Was I willing to take a lie detector test proving my innocence? This one would be difficult to deal with. Did I think Bella was alive? Was I going to let him hold on to the hope that he had, or was I going to tell him that I thought it was impossible. How would I know either way? What did my heart say to do for the man who was supposed to be my father-in-law? Should I pretend for his sake? I would probably fall apart again just being there in the house where I could still smell her amongst the other things in the house. I would go mad. I was certain of it. Here the smells of her presence were not strong any longer. The rain had washed them away for the most part. Every once in a while I would get a strong whiff of her scent…and I kind of wondered at that. Maybe she was right there beside me. Maybe in death she sat here, spirit tied to mine in the way that we had intended. I didn't want her to suffer here with me. I hoped that if there is a heaven…that is the place that my Bella belonged.

My thoughts on Bella's afterlife consumed a lot of time recently. I prayed daily that she would reach Carlisle's heaven. I prayed that she was taken care of, and that she was happy. That she would be in paradise and her eternity would be a happy one even if it would be without me. Then again…what were the prayers of a monster worth? I would then immediately pray that my prayers were reaching God's ears. There were small parts of my psyche though that nagged with the idea that she had been planning to marry me and she was planning a contract of marriage with a vampire. It made me wonder if there was a chance that this was a damning offence. Would God punish Bella for falling in love with what could possibly be a damned soul? Was there a way that I could join her in the afterlife, or would we be forever barred from each other? Once Bella had said that an eternity without me would not be heaven…what if she had made the decision to damn herself to hell? God forbid she could make that decision! What if she had? I shuddered with the idea of Bella forever burning in the pits of hell just to see me. I sobbed tearlessly at the idea. There was no way for me know what her soul's fate was. It made me sad and angry that even as an immortal being I had no more idea of what came after than anyone else.

Carlisle strode purposefully into the clearing and sat beside me. "How are you feeling?"

"It varies from moment to moment. Right now I was wondering if I have accidentally damned her by simply asking her for her hand and her answering yes." I looked over at Carlisle askance.

"No, I don't think so. You can't be damned for things you think about. Just things you've actually done. Bella agreed to marry you yes, but she didn't actually get to do it, NOT that I believe for a second that your marriage would have damned her at all." This question had plagued me for days and Carlisle was the Godliest man I knew. _'If a man is considered guilty for what goes on in his mind…' _He thought with a grin.

"So without a wedding…" I pushed.

"Without an actual marriage and a consummation of that marriage, no I think not." He grabbed my hand at this point. "Don't worry about Bella's soul son. I think that she is far too sweet, too giving a person to not reach her perfect final destination."

"It hurts me to think about it…It hurts me more not to think about it." I looked over at Carlisle the emotion raw on my face.

'_My poor son. If it were possible we need to discuss something that might be even more painful.' _Carlise readjusted his position next to me and suddenly he was facing me.

"It's nearly time for you to speak with Charlie. I'm sorry son. I've put this off as long as I could."

I shook my head. "You've been very patient, and it's been fair to say that Charlie has as well. You all have. I know that I have to speak with Chief Swan…I just don't really know what to say…"

"I know that we've not been much comfort for him. However it's getting to the point where we are going to have to make something up and fast. Jacob has been in for questioning and because of his disappearance, and Charlie knowing about it, he's at the top of the suspect's list, next to you of course. Charlie has ordered Jacob to take a lie detector test. This is not an unusual turn of events, but because of Jacob's physiology it may seem that he's lying all the time. It could have horrible results. We will not let Jacob rot in jail for something he fought so valiantly to prevent."

"No…that would be wrong." I hung my head against the pain that even discussing the lies we would have to tell brought me.

"And obviously you being tested is out of the question. We cannot allow that." Carlisle looked out at the sea and took a deep cleansing breath.

"What are you going to suggest?" I drew my knees against my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around each other. His mind was so quiet. Like the calm before the storm.

"I think I'm sending Alice away to make a phone call…" Carlisle joined me in my position. Looking very much like he'd never wanted to suggest this course of action in front of me. "I will have her mimic Bella's voice and tell Charlie that she ran away. That she changed her mind and was so ashamed that she couldn't stay and wait for them to return. It will have to be a call from another state, then another…we will say that she stole Alice's credit card so there is a paper trail…"

"Good LORD!" I gasped as the words left his mouth. I jumped to my feet and began to rapidly pace back and forth. "No…God. What kind of monsters are we that we are going to such extremes to hide Charlie's only daughter's death from him? Are we then going to follow up every couple of months until we figure out a way to plausibly have her die or kill herself?" My father looked down at his feet and then directly back into my eyes. "No! Carlisle I forbid it. What will we do if her body finally turns up? " He shook his head and stood placing his hand on my shoulder pausing me in my cagey pacing.

"My son, we have to do something. Bella's father and mother are hurting, and we cannot give them the satisfaction of the truth. It will bring chaos down on their heads. We can't give them the secret of the wolves or the vampires without putting them in harm's way. This is the only way I can think of that can give them peace. Bella would have wanted to give them peace."

"Yes…peace…." I starred at the ground and wished it would open up and swallow me.

"No. There will be no easy peace for us. We will have to live with the deception for an eternity. I wish there were some other way Edward. I just fail to see how we can help the pack any other way, and I don't want to get Charlie or Renee hurt." Carlisle broke off and pinched his nose between his fingers.

I looked back toward the sea. "Speaking of the pack what about the plans the rest of the family has for revenge?"

"Emmett wants you to be with them…but he understands why you've been reluctant to leave here. He and Alice have been planning. They are going to meet in the clearing tonight to begin to teach the wolves how to fight the Volturri, as if any one of us knows how to truly fight them. It seems like they've decided to buy a jet so that there isn't an airline that can be tracked through our credit. Jasper seems to think that leaving any evidence of our passage would be bad. He says that he would like to be sent early to scout the area and make sure that the guilty party is there…but Alice doesn't want to leave Jasper alone with them. Perhaps they will go together after Alice is back." My father began to pace just as I had done.

I interjected as soon as his words stopped. "They are outnumbered and probably outclassed. Even with the pack at their beck and call. I have been attacked by Jane before. It's a pain like nothing I've known in this life. This is not going to end like the last fight. There will be death. Do they know that?"

"Of course they know! We will go regardless. I don't mind telling you son, this idea hurts me. I have been a pacifist throughout most of my life. I don't want anyone to suffer…I don't know that revenge is the best way. However at this point I am not sure what would make a fitting substitute. I am furious that they would hurt my daughter. In a way…I wish they would try something again now, so that I could get my own revenge. Edward, I'm going with them."

"Father! No!" I gripped his shoulders and closed my eyes.

I could hardly hear him when he spoke again. "It's the only way Edward. If I don't show my support in this it will be as if they were acting alone. Aro, Caius, and Marcus must know that it is I that they have offended. If my feelings and opinions mattered at all, they matter most now. "

"If you are hurt it will kill me and Esme both. You are everything I have left, you and my family. It is back to that. I have nothing left to live for beyond the family you have built. If any of you were to die…" I shook my head to remove the vision of my father being torn apart.

"I'm sorry Edward. Sometimes it is impossible not to stand against injustice. We must do something. It must speak to the whole of our world. There should never be a moment where someone half-way across an ocean decides my son's love should die and it be made reality without good reason and just cause. If they had waited just one more day they would have found her with us." Carlisle looked down again. _'She would have been yours. You deserve to be loved. She wanted nothing more than to love you.'_

"I thought that her death would destroy me. I was wrong. This deception, this endless stream of lies that we must tell ourselves and Bella's family…To live in this world is what is going to destroy me. If I weren't going to hell before…now it is a foregone conclusion. Alice should get going if she's going to go through with this and make it back in time to be with Jasper." I flipped my phone open and accidentally called Bella's number.

My mind flashed back to the moment where I'd given her the phone. I had wrapped it carefully and given it to her the day before her death. She had been so unhappy to receive a gift from me; my only wedding present that I would be allowed. I'd promised it wouldn't be extravagant. She looked at me warily.

"You are giving me you. What on earth could you give me that I would need above and beyond that? This had better not be jewelry, because I don't think I'll find an occasion to wear any for about a year." She raised her eyebrows at me and glared.

"You are so ridiculous! I promise it's not anything that you wear."

She held it out. "Here I don't want to take any chances this close to my wedding. Please open the paper for me?" She smiled and it took my breath away.

"For you, I'll do just about anything." I ripped open the side of the package and handed it back. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down at the phone. "We thought you needed one. It only makes sense to put you on the plan."

She threw herself at me. "Oh, it's the most perfect wedding gift. Thank you Edward! Thank you so much! I'm just…This makes me…" She kissed me as fully as I would allow and then some, letting the passion of our kiss turn into a more physical demonstration. Her hands running up and down my chest, and mine were pulling her down on top of me as we lay back onto our bed together. Her warmth was sending the most amazing feelings throughout my body, and it made me wonder how I'd ever thought we couldn't have a physical relationship. I was looking forward to our wedding night and everything it portended. The noise that reached my ears in the here and now wrenched me free of my musings.

I stood there in shock as the silver phone I had just given her rang somewhere close by, but away from the cliff. Carlisle sprinted after the sound. He picked up the phone off the forest floor and brought it back as I stared down at the little ringing device. I snapped my phone closed and stared at it for a long moment. It was the first discrepancy we had seen. In Jacob's memory Bella had not had her phone in her hand at any time. She had been wearing a skirt with no pockets, and she had not been holding a phone. How had the device gotten here? I took a shuddering breath.

"Good lord." Carlisle and I ran back through the forest toward our home.


	5. Complicated Truths

Escaping Sol

Complicated Truths

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

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I had a late start this weekend with the chapter (Slacker Friday was busier than usual at work), and I had an out of town guest this weekend. I don't know when I will be able to rock out with the next chapter.

Thank you again to everyone who added me to favorites, made a comment, or even put me on their story update list. Everyone has been very generous with their comments, and it's been very nice to see some kind of response to my writing. Once again, if you see anything that may be OOC or any spelling or grammar errors please bring them to my attention. I'm so wary of writing a story without a beta. I'm sure I'll have my usual beta back on board once she finishes the series, but until then I am leaving it up to you. Thank you for your help and support. I hope you enjoy this chapter a whole bunch…because I had a bit of a time with it.

-My husband had no idea what an MPD was, and he's 32, so I will define it now: Multiple Personality Disorder-

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BPOV:

"Where is everyone?" I looked around the room at each individual and wondered out loud. I got the feeling that I was being very informal with these creatures that were probably usually afforded the utmost respect. What was the point in hiding my questions or being more respectful? This was the most awful and confusing situation I had ever found myself in. Fields full of fighting vampires and werewolves were now all but a fluffy memory. How could Aro possibly think that this could be explained in such a way that I would be happy? He said that I was under misconceptions that he wanted to clear up…and seemed to be under the impression that whatever he had to say was going to make an impact on my point of view. I was feeling less edgy and better able to concentrate now that I'd had my "snack." I shivered with the implications of me ever being comfortable with my first meal. I hoped that I would always shudder, that I would somehow hold onto some part of my humanity, and despite what my MPD Edward seemed to think, house pets weren't allowable lunch menu items from now on.

"Bella dear, you are so observant!" He beamed at me and looked to Marcus and Caius as if I'd cured cancer. They looked as if they were bored with the very notion of me. "This is exactly where I wanted the conversation to go. You wouldn't happen to be similarly gifted to your mate?" I let the pained expression cross my face at mention of my Edward, and yet I couldn't help an internal shiver. We were equal now. I truly was his mate…if he was still alive. If the Volturri had not, as Aro had implied, killed him.

"Not as far as I can tell, I'm not reading anyone's mind. I just remember this place being more populated. I understand why you don't have anyone at the help desk right now…" Aro chuckled and I shuddered at the memory of Gianna and her untimely death. Felix showed the first sign of recognition by way of shooting his eyes at me. "But this place was so active last time I was here…and I came through the basement that time." I looked at each one of the "Princes of Volterra" and wished I could be more like Edward, and that I could know what they were thinking. The three of them seemed to allow Aro to speak for them. It was as if the other two were too bored to talk and too disinterested to take any care or notice of the situation before them. I felt suddenly uncomfortable, and a strange sort of mist seemed to be gathering at the edges of my vision.

"I'm going to give you as much information as possible to help you save your family." My eyes filled with fear, _'what about my family?'_

"The truth Bella, is that we are at an interesting impasse. My brothers and I are fighting in a small skirmish among our own. Jane, sweet thing that she is, has become confused with her place in the world. She and Alec have decided to overstep their boundaries. Your kidnapping was not ordered by anyone in this room." Here Caius snarled and I held myself together, crossing my arms across my chest. I was not chilled by the air, but I was certainly afraid of these ancient Vampires, and I hadn't forgotten that they held my life in their hands. They also seemed to be convinced that my brothers and sisters were in danger…and my love, my Edward. "Such a waste! Of course we can't allow that kind of behavior! They went to get you of their own volition. They had wanted to destroy you because letting you live was an example of my weakness, at least according to the new philosophy that they are following. By taking action and showing strength they were hoping to sway those in the Volturri guard who were on the fence about the way Marcus, Caius, and I officiate." Here Marcus rolled his eyes and glared at nothing. I wondered how it was that the Volturri had even begun to lose control.

"Jane and Alec have decided that we should no longer live in secret. They feel that they should be allowed to be shepherds for the sheep. Human slaves meant to serve their superior vampire masters. This act was only going to be the first against your family, a warning." Aro looked amongst his fellows and then both showed their displeasure about this idea.

Caius surprised me by continuing after Aro broke off. "They needed to destroy the evidence of anything that stood in the way of their vision. The Cullen Family and their bond with Humanity are a diametric opposite to their goals. You see the dilemma for them correct? How could the Cullens possibly be allowed to continue fraternizing with the enemy?"

Marcus' voice seemed to flow evenly into the explanation. "You, however, would have to be disposed of, a casualty of your beating heart and unusual bond with Edward Cullen. How could a being that was so full of imperfection be allowed to exist amongst our kind as a lover? Because I had seen and discussed the depth of your feelings they picked you as an excellent first target."

Caius took up the tale once again. "You were quite lucky that day, because they had brought Demetri with them, and Demetri is still mine. He convinced them that they should bring you to us instead, to test our resolve for upholding the old laws. If we failed to kill you it would be used as a reason to declare war in the city, this is another thing that we could not allow. My spy brought you safely back to us." I wanted suddenly to vehemently disagree with the current state of my safety, but if they thought that I was safe, then I didn't want to see their definition of danger. I decided that I wouldn't tempt them to show me.

"I had to act immediately and violently, and I am sorry about that Bella, darling girl. I led them to believe I was killing you." Here Aro smiled a very ironic smile. I shuddered. "I fed off of you and threw you down into the vaults. I had whispered for you to be silent…and you were. I thank you for that." My mind reeled, and I remembered the feeling of falling as my skin burned from the inside out. I remembered my legs breaking with the impact and not caring because I was already in agony. I had bitten back the desire to scream. I remembered biting through my tongue, because the monster had told me to be quiet, and I didn't want him to hurt me any more than he had, I didn't want him to finish what he had started. Then I remembered my surroundings. The body pile I had fallen on top of was fresh. There was no rot, but smooth torn flesh was everywhere…I laid there silently horrified that this was what I was going to remember for an eternity. This was the bed of my rebirth. I don't know how long I waited, but I could hold it back no longer, I was screaming in pain. I was screaming in horror. I was screaming for Edward.

Then Felix had come out of the shadows gagged me securely and brought me to my final resting place. I had drowned in my own fluids, blood and sweat and just about everything else had leaked free of my body. I had screamed through the burning pain while the venom took over my veins, and I had torn at my flesh only to have it come back stone-like and cold like Edward's skin. Cold because there was no blood left to make it warm. No warmth because there was no heart…maybe no soul left to inhabit my body. I wished I could cry. Isn't that what Edward was always saying, that he had no soul? I remembered the strewn bits of human parts; arms, legs, and other bits that were my first bed. I nearly screamed in remembered terror and the concept that my soul could still be lying amongst the torn discarded bodies.

"You see, it was imperative that you be silent because Jane was going to fight us only when she felt she was strong enough, only when she had experienced victory, and there was no place for the original three Volturri left in the world." Aro smiled a crooked grin that reminded me of Edward. "She still loves me despite her deep desire to see her vision fulfilled. If I had done what it was that was in my heart to do…If I had spared you and taken you back to your Edward it would have been the last straw…as it were." He looked at me then, repentant. As if what he had done was not what he had wanted. "It makes no difference to me how you were changed, Alice showed me her vision. I knew it was the truth. I know what was in Edward's heart because I have visited his mind. It was important to you both that he be the one to make you his…am I right?" I slowly nodded my head. This was not what I had been expecting. I had expected my view of the Volturri to be unalterably evil. Aro could be described as many things, but none of them so far were particularly bad. Well, unless you happened to be in a tour group visiting the castle in Volterra. I remembered in that moment why I considered them monsters and I decided that re-evaluation might be in my immediate future. They hadn't intended to make me like this. They were willing to wait for Edward's decision…for my decision. Perhaps the viewpoint that Jasper had shared with me a lifetime ago was correct after all.

Caius began to talk again, "Our wayward children were confused by the sudden change of mind that Aro seemed to be showing. I needed that confusion. I'm sorry you were hurt. It was truly all of our original intent to bring you safely home…unharmed. We all respect Carlisle too much to hurt his son or his daughter in such an irreparable fashion."

Aro looked at Caius and continued, "However, I had brushed my hand gently against Jane's to know her mind and I saw that she would wait to see my judgment against you. It was decided in an instant that I could not afford to bow to your sensibilities, and I'm sorry for that." I shook my head. There was nothing to be done. I was a vampire now for the sake of politics or not. "Sorry" would not change or remedy the situation. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think you probably have questions for me, right Bella."

"Yes, I do. Where are they now? Did all of the guard leave except for Felix?" I had a hard time imagining all of them deciding to side with Jane. To add to my discomfort it seemed that my vision was becoming very strange…and it seemed to becoming even hazier than it was before.

"No dear. Ha, ha! You are charming aren't you?" Aro gesticulated toward me. "I am having those that are in the Inquisitorial Squad preparing to go to Forks. Everyone else is away. We are a business after all. You were in the building on a holiday. It was busy because of that. You know that this is only my third visit to America. A shame it will be to Forks, Washington."

"FORKS? BUT WHY?" I staggered forward. My eyes weren't correcting with my quick blinking…and I wondered if I were going blind. Could a vampire go blind?

"Ah, yes, well. That would be because Jane and her group are going there to dispatch your family. They are going to try to kill the Cullens." Marcus drawled lazily. The concept made me want to run…I wasn't sure where. I was certain of one thing though, it was my fault that they had been drawn into all of this ridiculous political intrigue. All of this because I couldn't keep myself from getting a paper cut at my birthday last year. I couldn't even properly remember the situation…and it frustrated me, almost as much as my eyes were.

"NO! Why? I'm dead right? What has Carlisle done wrong? Please don't let Jane hurt them!" My eyes…I rubbed at them annoyed.

"Bella…they consider your way of life to be an abomination." Felix, who had been content to be silent so far, sounded very coy in his first statement.

"I'M AN ABOMINATION?!?" I screeched. "I'm an abomination to a person that would probably eat a baby, and dance on its grave while trying to make slaves out of the human race? All while persecuting the most gentle, peaceful, kind, and giving people I've ever known?" I was furious.

"You have to understand Bella. It's a problem of perception. Personally it doesn't bother me, your vegetarian lifestyle, Ha!" Aro laughed at his own use of the Cullen's word for their dietary habits. "To me it matters little how anyone eats. We are all a part of this strange life. We would do well to use the anonymity to our advantage. I'm loath to allow Jane and Alec to destroy this peace that we have created amongst our kind and the ignorant Humans we drink."

I wanted my eyes to stop clouding, and each moment I was able to see less of my surroundings than the last. Aro was continuing, "I'm fascinated by the fact that they go to school, and that Carlisle works as a medical doctor. They move seamlessly amongst the people that I would feed from, to nurture relationships amongst themselves that have nothing to do with blood or politics. I don't particularly want a life like that…but I can see the allure for a younger vampire such as you."

"So you're going to Forks to save them?" I knew my face was hopeful. Suddenly my eyes snapped back into focus, and I could see a network of threads that spread out from each of the men in front of me. I had never seen anything like it.

"It's our responsibility to deal with Jane and her followers. We will not let any harm come to them if we can avoid it." Now Aro had a gleam in his eyes. "Would you mind?" Aro held out his hand and I felt hesitation to touch the ancient vampire. Caius rolled his eyes. Marcus looked intently between us and I noticed that he had a very perplexed look on his face. I was staring at the strange connection floating between the three creatures in front of me. Almost like an ephemeral hoop that bound them to each other. I gasped and stepped back. Felix chuckled lightly and I could see that he was similarly bound, but in this case he was bound to each one of the patrons by a thin gold strand. I looked over at Marcus with fear, because I was certain that this is what he was supposed to see when he looked at the vampires next to him…but that I had stolen his gift. "Oh…um Felix give her your cloak. I may be a few centuries old…but I'm still a man after all. Ha, Ha, Ha! Perhaps she is feeling a bit exposed."

Nope. I had not been feeling in the least bit modest. I had entirely forgotten that I was naked at all. Well. I wasn't feeling so ambivalent now that he brought it up. I felt myself become embarrassed without the telltale burn of my blush. I threw my hands up over anything compromising but it wasn't like it was making a difference. I wanted to run from the room. The thing that I'd considered a strange sort of weapon had now been turned against me. Felix walked around me and threw the cloak over my shoulders. "I've never met vampires with such a penchant for nudity in all my life. I'm running out of cloaks between the two of you." I clutched the fabric around my frame and shuddered at the thought that Edward was not by my side as he had been the last time I was here. I doubted he would have honestly let me walk the halls of this strange tower naked to begin with. Looking back…if I hadn't been insane…I probably wouldn't have either. Aro still held his hand out.

"Don't touch her Aro." It was Marcus. "She has taken my sight." He looked extremely disturbed, almost angry. Aro's eyes shot over to Marcus, a gleam of true interest in his eyes. He clapped his hands together in an excited manner.

"Excellent!" Aro looked at me with a smile. "Did you do it on purpose Bella, or did it just happen?"

"I, I don't know. I'm sorry Marcus! I don't think I meant to steal it from you…It just happened!" I was panicking. Something told me that it might be considered rude to steal powers from a centuries old vampire.

Aro waved his hand in a negating fashion before Marcus could answer my plea. "Now I am extremely intrigued. Felix take Bella out into the corridor for a moment. I will tell you when to return." I walked to the door on my own not wanting to touch Felix. He was not what I considered to be a good person. Then again he'd given me something to wear…even if he had been ordered to do it. His relationship to me was weak at best. I saw it through Marcus' sight. When we got into the corridor it faded completely and it shocked me. Maybe now that we were out of sight of the Volturri he would turn on me like he had Gianna.

"I didn't turn against Gianna." I swung around and gawked at him. Had he read my thoughts? "No, don't look so scared. I'm not reading your mind. You asked me a question, and it's rude to speak over Marcus, Caius, and Aro, although you don't seem to have any problem with it." Felix rolled his eyes. "How could I?" He demanded back at me. "How could she? Gianna played me for a fool. She was a spy for Alec. He had promised to turn her if she kept an eye on me. She had no such offer from the Volturri, and so she happily led me to believe that she had feelings for me. For months I believed that I had finally found the thing that I was missing. All along, every time I made love to her…It was a lie." He looked like he was rather distraught over the situation.

"I'm sorry…I had no idea. I jumped to conclusions." I bowed my head. "This is all so complicated. I feel like I woke up in a nightmare." Felix rested his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. My eyes widened. "Wait! You were having sex?" I had thought that wasn't safe!

"Come back in now. We are certain." It was Marcus.

"Certain of what? What is going on? Why am I able to do this?" He lead me back toward the room, without having said anything more about my inquiry into his physical relationship with nothing but a bit of a smirk. The wisps of light were back. Maybe they could only be seen in the dark. "You said you would explain. You said that things weren't as they seemed. What part was I missing? Was it the one where you sunk your teeth directly into my chest, turned me into a vampire, and gave me a cat to eat? Was it the part where my family was in grave danger? Was it the part where I was stealing other people's ablilities?"

"Now, now Bella, don't get in a snit. HA! We are certain that when you weren't in the room Marcus got his power back. His vision is limited to what he can see. The instant you disappeared from his sight his vision returned to normal." He still seemed to regard me as some kind of experiment. "I have a theory…I think your ability is just as you have guessed. I think you are able to steal our abilities from us. Perhaps it is limited to the restraints of the vampire you are borrowing skills from? For example if you were to touch me…"

"No! I don't want to do that! I don't want any of that!" Instantly the strands leading around all of us disappeared. Somehow I had stopped my power. I looked around confused and Caius looked at Marcus who nodded his head.

"Wondrous!" Caius didn't look like he thought it was wondrous, it looked more like he wanted to control me. Like he already had thought of millions of ways to destroy every enemy he'd ever had through the new resource that was me. The way he smiled suddenly with an almost feral grin filled me with fear. Were they going to hold me here in Volterra to keep me under their control? Was I now a commodity that they wouldn't willingly let go? My strange new power had shut down and left me free to feel the fear of what would happen next.

"Now…shall we?" Aro had a gleam in his eye as he extended his hand toward me for a second time. I was petrified that I would no longer stand up against his power, and that he would know every thought, dream, or decision I had ever made. He would see intimate things. I didn't know how my power that I had just gained would effect the one I already had. I didn't want to share my life with this ancient strange creature. Regardless I placed my hand in his and received a horrible shock. I reeled against the endless vision. Thousands of years in seconds flit through my mind. It seared my soul. I needed no explanations from Aro now, because I had seen everything directly in his mind's eye. I screamed and clutched at my head. It was just too much information. I wasn't prepared and at first, and it had honestly hurt. "Fascinating."

"That wasn't fascinating!" I got off of my feet and felt like I had been wrung out. I staggered toward the cold stone of the wall and felt great gasping sobs leaving my mouth. I wished that I could feel it to relieve the feeling of eternity all around me. I could not cry and it made everything worse. There was so much information. Thoughts like an endless river of loss, joy, pain, the true definition of eternity. To be alive so long…Too much information strained through my already addled brain. Now I had centuries of information that I never wanted. He was smiling and he looked at his brothers. "It is just as we predicted. I wonder if she touched me again…I wonder if she could stop herself from doing it again."

He jumped forward at a speed I would never have given him credit for. I rebelled against the very idea of a second intrusion. His hand grasped my own and I slammed my eyes closed. "NO!"

"WONDERFUL!" He looked at them and I wondered if he was seeing my life. "I can't see a thing…but neither does she. The natural power that you had as a human can work against your power now." I grabbed my hand back and glared at Aro. "I'm sure if you concentrated on keeping to yourself you wouldn't mimic everything in sight. Can you imagine how colorful things could get if you didn't learn to keep that power to yourself?"

Actually I felt a thrill of terror at the idea. I could hurt someone accidentally. I could probably hurt myself. I just imagined myself having one of Alice's visions, while all of the thoughts in the house slammed through my head, while everyone in the house was feeling terrified and violated thanks to Jasper's power in my incapable hands. All of them could control their power because they had decades to do so. Jasper had never bothered to work on that control until recently and he was still so unsure with it. I couldn't do this. Speaking of doing things I shouldn't be able to… "I'm not so sure I understand. I can only control this ability of mine because…"

"Your mind is your own Bella. Your desire is the reason Jane could not hurt you, and Edward and Aro could not read your thoughts. The power of your mind is very strong. You will be an impenetrable fortress in no time." I pondered these words from a very smug looking Marcus as Aro's memories were becoming hazier and hazier. I remembered only the things that I had concentrated on. I remembered that Aro, despite having legitimate political reasons for killing me, had decided not to hurt me. That he had done it for Edward…because he didn't want to hurt him. He didn't want to hurt me, and it wasn't just because I would make an excellent vampire…although that was part of it.

"Well, I can only imagine that our little moment makes everything easier doesn't it? Now we don't have to explain anything because you've quite literally seen it all! Ha, Ha, Ha!" The other two rolled their eyes and I fought the desire to laugh. Knowing everything I knew now…I could not feel the cagy anger and fear that had coursed through me before. These men were old friends. They were nothing more frightening than my family. They just had a less restrictive dietary menu, and after so long…so many, many years, individual Humans were just no longer significant. Their lives were so finite. "I care Bella because over the course of centuries I have learned that life is full of such contrast…but the tenor of good and evil do not change. You and Edward are so pure. Carlisle was much the same. Why should I care about something as ridiculous as dietary oddities. If you don't want to drink humans you don't have to. I admit at first I was skeptical that a vampire could be potent, and truly alive if he was restricted against his natural proclivities…but I'm sure now that it is a lifestyle choice, and I'm never one to object if someone wants to be a little odd."

" It was you! You were the one who made Carlisle! I saw you…" It flashed through my mind as his remaining memories slid through my mind like very fine sand. He was wrong, I still needed clarification because it was like the sieve was empty but for my own thoughts. I only felt a sense of missing time and information. His mind, his thoughts, everything that I had drawn from him was gone now. It was like my Senior Year in Calculus class. I wasn't sure if I could remember any of it, but I never wanted to go there again. I would not look into Aro's head unless it was absolutely necessary, but I had seen what I had needed to see.

"Ah, yes. I saw so much potential in him. It was worth all the needless running around don't you think?" Aro smiled at me.

" Why didn't you tell him?" I was actually puzzled now that the memories had faded, now that I was alone again in my head.

"What does it matter? How would that have affected his existence? If he knew that I had spared him from death because I knew he would be a beautiful vampire would he be a better man than he is now? I doubt it." He waved his hand in dismissal and I wanted to argue, but decided that he was right. Carlisle was better off the way he was, because it had allowed him to become the man he is now…to not be introduced to this life in Volterra and its beastly political maneuvering and butchery.

"But somehow he found you anyway…" I ventured.

"I assume, because you're asking me, that your gift to hold on to my thoughts is weak? Perhaps it can be fixed through repetition. Would you like to try again?" He held out his hand with an interested smile. "I wonder if it is because of your exceptional mind or your strange new talent? Oh, Bella! Stay here in Volterra. You would be so happy! So many things to experience, and we could solve the mystery of your adorable power. I would let Edward enter my service as well…" He looked at Caius and Marcus and they seemed to agree, though I couldn't help but realize that they each had a different reason that this was alluring.

"I would rather go home please." He looked a bit disappointed but I could sense that he wouldn't hold me there. We shared a mind for an instant, and in that one second I had seen an entire world. I had glimpsed what it was like to be alive for eternity. I respected and strangely liked this creature before me that was now almost like my father.

"As you wish Bella, but do remember to visit me so that we can study the complexities. I am absolutely in awe." The other two seemed to disapprove of my decision but said nothing.

"Can I ask one more question…" Felix rolled his eyes when I interrupted Aro's speech. "Why am I not trying to break free and track down blood like a single minded monster?" Now that I thought about it the Cullen family had seemed to think that I would be completely consumed by bloodlust. It was really more of a preoccupation at the moment. Sure I was thirsty, but I wasn't tearing the doors down for blood, blood, blood.

"Ah, yes. Well dear it is really the potency of the venom that determines the infant stage of vampirism…if you will. For most it would probably be about a year as your system flushes itself of the last of its human vestiges. However my venom is pure. It is centuries old. I am a relic Bella dear." He smiled at me kindly. "It doesn't mean that you won't have to feed constantly…I'm sure you will, but it will be with your senses mostly intact."

"So that's why Carlisle had the ability to curb his appetite! He was created by your venom. Here I just thought he had strength of character…"

"Oh, I'm sure it doesn't hurt. I chose him because he had such a strong and distinguished personality. I saw it when I grabbed him. I never doubted the delight he would bring me. I doubt that he would have been able to hold off in the beginning like you did this afternoon, if that's what you are wondering? Now look at all of the wondrous children he has made for me! Look at the daughter he has brought unto me! You have an incredible will Bella Cullen. I can't wait to see the way you fight." The three of them smiled viciously.

Marcus, Caius, and Aro looked at Felix and he stood away from the wall at my shoulder. Caius spoke, "Get her clothes, load her in the reinforced trunk and drive her somewhere she can feed in her strange way…"

Marcus took over when Caius seemed to stop speaking. "We will load the guard onto the private plane outside of Volterra in five hours. I expect you both on time. We have a very tight schedule to adhere to if we are to protect the Cullen Family from Jane."

Finally Aro snarled and began to speak. "There will be no survivors allowed in their little army; this is for the safety of everything we have built over the centuries. We will discuss strategy during the flight. For now Bella Cullen you are in my service until I release you to Carlisle. Think of me as your father for now, my beautiful daughter." I was comfortable with the notion of fighting for the safety of my family…so for now, I would be as he said; Aro's daughter.


	6. Complicated Lies

Escaping Sol

Complicated Lies

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

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Here we go. I really hope you enjoy this one! It's kinda long. As I stated at the beginning I do not own these characters, nor do I make money off of my ideas. These are just the plunnies that assault me on my drive in to work, which make some of them hard to hold onto.

I'm going to give you all a little of that back story that I was telling you was ahead. I hope it isn't too jarring as it's told from Edward's perspective, and it is a retelling of the situation with memories. It ranges from the slightly erotic, to the macabre, so sit tight whilst I go backwards in time a bit. It starts in the present and bounces back and forth a bit. I hope you don't get sea sick.

Thank you for staying with me so far, and leaving encouraging comments. Please feel free to give me any thoughts or insight that you might have into the writing process.

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EPOV:

My father and I ran for home. I would need to talk to Charlie, and so a change of clothes was in order. I looked like I had swum in the ocean and sat outside for a number of days, mostly because I had. There was no way I could go in and see Charlie looking like that. It would be incredibly suspicious, and although I honestly didn't care what happened to me at this point, there were still lies I had to tell for my family. The silent silver cell phone was still clutched in my hand. As long as it held answers to some of my questions I vowed to hold onto it until it gave them away. Somehow there were holes in the reality that Jacob remembered.

Maybe it was because he was not swelling with the powers of observation. It was possible that his interpretations weren't complete. He had been pretty badly beaten by the point of having seen Bella. However, even at his worst, I would think that something shiny and silver sailing through the air at a high rate of speed would have caught his attention. No, I was begging for this to be something bigger. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted it to be though. Finally I voiced my concern for one of the outcomes aloud. "Carlisle? What do you think the chances are of the wolf lying to us?"

"I'm not exactly sure what to think Edward. If this is some kind of alteration of the facts that was mechanized by Jacob, I would think that Jasper would have felt his duplicity by now." Carlisle was falling behind my quicker feet. I ran through the shining green forest as fast as I could. In places the sun came through the canopy of trees and threw light off of my skin. Bella had loved the way my skin looked in the sun. I could finally breath for the first time in a week. Not that I particularly needed to, but the feeling of drowning amidst the cloying darkness of my sorrow had abated slightly. My head was above water now, however I knew that there was little to stop myself from being drug under once again. The feeling that my heart had been torn apart was still there, but at least I wanted to move again. I wasn't sure that there was any difference in Bella's plight. Truthfully there had been no change in the situation as things stood. My love was gone.

One tiny cell phone didn't change reality. I wasn't sure that Jacob's memories hadn't just somehow skipped over the small silver device in my hand…but hope. Hope was a part of Bella's and my relationship, it was the reason I had planned to give in to her demands and it was why I had given my word to change her. I would have given anything I was right now to have been given the chance to hold her…to throw all of my ridiculous boundaries out the window and make love to her, to worship her with every part of myself. That thought, and the feeling of pain it brought with it, had me crashing back to earth and reality, it brought me back to my conversation with my father. Carlisle had been waiting for my answer.

"I agree. I don't think Jacob would lie to us about something like this. He's was just as hurt at her passing as I was." I thought of how Jacob had at first snapped at us. I began to analyze the moment we first came to the cliff by the sea, and was taken back into my memories. His pack brothers Sam, Quill, Embry, and the smaller grey female Leah had arrived just seconds before we did. They had stood in front of Alice and I as their thoughts began swirling through my head and the werewolves began holding the ruddy colored wolf back and away from me. I was too much in shock to fight back, and they didn't want Jacob to hurt me, yet. I could hear their thoughts. Sam was privy to everything that went through Jacob's mind, and he had seen everything.

Alice was furiously asking what had happened. Asking, "Where is Bella?" and, "What have you DONE?" But I had seen what Sam and the others had seen. I had seen the rough treatment of her delicate neck, heard the snap and the gurgled scream before the action. Pain had lanced through me with the vision. I had started to unravel immediately, coming apart at the seams. Jacob was ferociously snapping at my sister Alice. Before I knew it, I was on my knees wishing that they would let Jacob come and tear me apart. Alice had dropped down and taken my face into her hands and looked into my eyes as she shook me and asked again, "Where is she?" I shook my head because no words would come and she cried out.

Sam had been literally lying on top of Jacob with his mouth securely wrapped around his neck. The leader of their pack was trying desperately to calm the creature beneath him. _'It wasn't them. You know he wouldn't hurt her like that. Look at him Jacob. It's killing him!'_ Leah was lying over his haunches with her sharp teeth bared at Alice, as if to make sure that we would not attack Sam or Jacob in their moment of weakness. Quill and Embry bowed, their powerful back legs stretched forward, their equally massive front paws curled up as if ready to spring at any time from either side of Jacob's large lupine body. There was a storm all around us as if to punctuate the horror of my emotions and the sea was tumultuously bashing against the rocks beneath the cliff face. It was the perfect setting for a grizzly murder. Which is exactly what had taken place here only minutes before. Fake tears in the form of raindrops drenched my face.

The wolves protected both Jacob from us and us from him, as if I would be able to do anything but shudder and wail? I couldn't even bring myself to speak. As if Alice could do more than sit there and look confused, shocked, and pained. _'Let me up damn it!_' Jacob screamed in his head. _'I won't kill the leeches.'_ He closed his eyes. _'Get off my neck and I'll turn back. I'll turn human. Just let me up.' _The red wolf let out a small sound of submission in his throat and Sam let go and stood back as Leah moved away as well. Lightning tore across the heavens and the loud crash of thunder punctuated the change of beast into man. Jacob was quick to become human again, and stood naked for only a moment before struggling to yank on his sodden pants. "What the hell were they? Did you know them?"

"Yes…" I pushed the word through the pain. I had to speak now. I had to damn myself so that he would kill me before I could feel the depths of the hurt. I was sliding under the waves of horror that caused me to feel as if I were drowning. I clutched Alice for the strength to continue. "Jane. Demitri. The Volturri…" I pulled my head up despite the crush of emotion and Alice gasped in horrified pain. I looked up at her and I felt lost in the torrent, lost because nothing could ever save me again.

"NO!" She screamed her rebuttal. Alice shook me. "If they were coming I would have seen. They couldn't have come without making the decision to come!" She was shouting at me.

"Who were they? Why did they kill Bella?" He was shaking from head to toe and tears mingled with rain were streaming down his face. The others began their transformations back into humans. All but for Leah, who stepped into the cover of the bushes not willing to be naked in front of us. I heard her say, 'Pardon me' in her head before she came back in a tied top and a pair of little bike shorts. "Answer me!" Jacob had shouted while he walked menacingly forward. I wanted to hold my arms out and wait for his destruction. Why hadn't he killed me yet?

I couldn't speak…I tried and all I found were sobs and screams. Alice pulled me against her and began to speak to Jacob. "Remember Italy? Remember the group that was coming to the field after our fight together?" Her voice trembled against her own sobbing breath as the rain sluiced down her beautiful sorrow filled marble face.

"Yeah, but why would vampires from Italy come to Forks just to kill Bella?" He began pacing back and forth. "It felt like they were expecting me…Like they knew who and what I was. I fought so hard, but that damn little girl…It felt like I was on fire from the inside out. Like every part of me was tearing itself apart. They were too strong for me. God…Bella." Jacob put his hand up to his face and staggered to half fall against a tree. It was like watching someone crumple a gigantic paper doll. Sam walked from his place with the others and knelt down next to Jacob, grabbing his shoulders in comfort before hugging the wolf boy to him. There was a feeling of fidelity in the clearing for even us, because no one was holding back. There was no fight in any of us, and the wolves were part of our pain. "I'm so sorry…I tried. I tried to stop them." it was the most broken I had ever seen Jacob Black. He was shuddering and clutching at Sam Uley. "I couldn't save her…I couldn't."

It wasn't his job to save her. It was mine. I had been the one that failed. I remember feeling even more like I wanted to die, like I wish they hadn't held Jacob back.

"We tricked them into believing that Bella would be made a vampire. I didn't see them coming so that we could hide her…I…I…" Alice gulped. "I couldn't see them come because you were here with her." She closed her eyes and placed her head next to mine. "How did they…?What…?" She couldn't seem to finish a single thought. The storm continued around us.

"One of the men in cloaks snapped her neck." Sam had stated plainly to answer my sister's unfinished question. Alice made an indistinct choking noise in the back of her throat and convulsively held me closer when a small whimper escaped my mouth. "Then, according to Jacob's memory…they threw her body in the sea." Quil had been staring into the sea as if he was looking for her body in the waves. He thought about Jacob's borrowed memory. Her pale throat once again flashed through my mind as he beckoned up the thought for analysis.

The snap of her neck causing me to cry out even now as I ran toward home for the first time since her murder, and I couldn't think about it any more. My mind resurfaced from its journey into the past because I couldn't think of Bella being cold and dead. I looked down at the small silver cell phone and a ray of sunlight glinted off of its shiny surface as I tried to rationalize the idea that Jacob could have been wrong. I tried to imagine how the very concrete things that I had seen through his eyes in that clearing by the sea could have been incorrect. The image of her broken neck, head lolling at an awkward angle came to me once more and I ran faster, leaving Carlisle completely out of my sight while the green of the forest was blurring into eternity around me.

My mind was spiraling further back. Allowing myself the pleasure of remembering back to that morning, something I had not done since the moment of discovering her death. It was a much more pleasant memory. Her neck, the column of skin that I had kissed sweetly on that morning before I left her home seconds before Charlie would have walked in on us. Her heart, beating furiously with nervous exertion, passion, and surprise at my sudden disappearance from her arms. Truly, for once it would have been Charlie legitimately walking in on us. She had been so demanding that morning, her hands, her mouth. I closed my eyes and saw her face clearly in my mind from that morning not as Jacob had seen her…but as I had, flush with passion.

We had both been so very frustrated, and I was allowing more than I would have normally. We had discussion upon discussion about how our coupling would take place. I think it was making the wait worse than if we'd not mentioned it at all. We were creating expectations, and I couldn't speak for my love, but I was so ready for the reality of it that it was distracting. It was one day until our nuptials, and I was feeling giddy and brash. I had never wanted to belong to someone before, but now the idea was so alluring. She was mine; I was hers, so I was allowing myself to take it further and further. We were lying on her bed our bodies pressed flush against each other. There wasn't an aspect of her that I was not in direct contact with, so soft and warm, and I was absolutely drunk with it. She shifted her hips against mine and I groaned with the sensation. This would normally be where I stopped. I smiled thinking back to her reaction. Her gasps as I returned the gesture and wrapped my arms around the curve of her hips to bring her closer still. It was like I could still hear her, feel her against me. The cold harsh reality came crashing through once more. It was in that moment that I broke through the trees into the sun, and it brought me back from the past again, the rustle of the bowes righting themselves from my passage resonating through the forest. I shook my head wishing to return to my thoughts and ran toward my home.

I remembered being lost in the passion of her scent, the way her arousal made the burn of my own so much more complete. I was not a monster here in her arms; I was a man in love with a woman. Her fingers grazed the skin under my shirt leaving a smoldering emptiness behind them, and I groaned with anticipation. This time, I would let her. She began pulling at my clothes and I paused in kissing her to throw my shirt away from us. Her teeth grazed my shoulder and I pulled her closer and groaned. She pushed away and ran her hands over my cold skin. The warmth…it was indescribably drugging. Suddenly we were pulling at each other, searching hands and mouths, and somehow in the throws of our mutual passion her shirt too had been lost and I was kissing, and breathing, and tasting…everything that she was, and everything that we could be together. I wanted so much to be transported back to that moment, to have simply been allowed to have all of her in that way before she had been ripped from me, because I was selfish. I'm sure my emotions were tumultuous right now. I knew that Jasper had to be suffering from it with how close to the house I was. The very concept of being able to sheath myself in her warmth filled me with longing and pain. I was so very selfish.

I realized immediately it was the wrong thought to have. It was not what I would have done even if I had known what was to come, because I wanted my angel to be my wife before I took her to my bed. If I had a soul, I wanted it to be tied to hers before we became one. I wanted to give her soul every chance at heaven that it might have had. I closed my eyes and stopped moving forward just as I reached the bottom stair of my home. _'I'm sorry Bella…I would have stopped without Charlie's interruption. I would not have taken you like that.'_ The thought left me feeling a dull ache in my chest. She had died pure. Virginal. I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I thought this would have made her angry. I pictured her angry blush and it made me smile in spite of myself. The first smile I had allowed myself since her death. I immediately felt like a traitor.

I ran up the stairs and through the door to our home. My memories had been a haze around me since I had left Carlisle behind. Now I had to focus on what was to come. Esme turned around and stood up from the couch. "Edward! You've come home." She smiled warmly and opened her arms. I walked forward and hugged her as Carlisle slipped in through the door behind me, my pause had given him the opportunity to catch up obviously, and he gently closed the door. I had not been as gentle with our door coming in and there was a small dent in the plaster which he was surveying with his fingers.

'_Edward, I'm so sorry. I missed your presence, even though I know this has been so hard for you. I feel so selfish. It hurts me too, so it's easy to want more than you can give. I wanted to cry for her, and I wanted to cry for you, instead it feels like I've been crying for myself. I'm sorry I haven't been very much comfort.' _Esme's thoughts were directed at me as she held me comfortingly in her arms

"Mother…There is nothing to feel sorry for. You're hurting too. I…" I couldn't console Esme. I couldn't even console myself.

I let go and ran toward the stairs. As I made my way up the staircase my siblings came out to watch me make the climb. Jasper winced slightly as I walked closer. Rosalie who had not talked to me at all since last week turned on her heel and walked back into her room almost immediately. I didn't expect what I saw and heard immediately after. I had seen her look of pain, and then I heard her mind. She was not even attempting to disguise her pique. _'How can they ask him to do this? Look at him! Can't we just go away? Disappear? Does he have to torture himself to save us?'_

Emmett stayed solidly where he was. "I wish there were something else we could do here. Don't stay in there for long…it's going to drive you crazy as it is. I'll be waiting in the car. I'm going to drive you." He shook his head. His mind was blank for a second, and then, '_I'm going to kill them for destroying your happiness.'_ I shuddered at the pain. Jasper shuddered as well.

"Alice is on her way back." Jasper shook slightly and I tried fruitlessly to reign in my anguish. It really wasn't working at all. He put his hand on my shoulder and began to climb the stairs with me. "Don't bother. It's okay. I'll just have to deal with it." I looked up at Jasper afraid of what that might mean. "Don't worry. I won't try to take your pain from you. I understand." Yes…he really did. I wanted this. This was the most poignant of human emotions, sorrow. I was more human than I had been in eighty years. She had given me that gift. I didn't want to take any of it back. I wanted to revel in every ounce of pain for the sake of her love. It might not have been what she would want, but it's what I wanted. I would feel to the very depths of my soul and then hopefully I would be worthy of heaven with her. Maybe God would have pity on my soul if he knew that I could feel pain like his other children.

I looked forward to Emmett's inquisition now. I was going to help him and Alice to fight them, but I wasn't going to survive the battle. Not if I had anything to say about it. I would wait for someone particularly brutal…and I would let them rend me apart. _''Suicide again Edward? I wish that you would see it isn't what Bella would want for you. She can only go on if we're here. You are her immortality now. Don't cheat her out of what she wanted so much.' _Alice was home again. The thought reached me from Alice's mind as I started to strip off the clothes that I had been wearing for the last week. I stared at my cold naked body in the mirror. I had not changed physically in all this time. The Edward Anthony Mason in the mirror in front of me was the same one that had stood there in 1918. My heart and mind though had been irrevocably changed in such a short time. For the longest time my outside and inside had shared in their stasis. Perhaps Alice was right, and I could just live for the rest of time with my eyes closed conjuring the image of Bella's eyes. I shook my head clear of her fathomless brown orbs and walked to the shower and wrenched on the hot water.

I could pretend to see her here with me. I could close my eyes and feel her hands on my skin, to imagine her pressed against me here in the shower. I could still smell her here in my room amongst all the other scents. Her shampoo sat next to mine and I ripped it open taking a long drag of scent off of the bottle. I couldn't bear to use it. The scent would surely drive me to distraction when I needed so much to be aware of myself to lie to her father. I placed the bottle back onto the shelf and grabbed for my own pulling it through my salt and rain water covered hair. Charlie deserved better than this. He deserved to hear that in her last moments on Earth she had called out for him…and me.

She had screamed for me to come save her. I saw it in Jacob's mind. "EDWARD! PLEASE! NO! EDWARD!" Her terror had been made even more horrible for me knowing that she had known I wasn't going to come for her this time, and there would be no warning for us because there was a werewolf there with her keeping Alice's visions away. He had seen her face, her eyes, and her mouth. I came back to my vision of our make out session. Closing my eyes I pushed my hands against the tile and letting the steaming pelting water wash away my shampoo from my hair. Waiting for the vision of her head tilted back in passion to leave me. Her rosy cheeks made erotic with a deep blush. The way I felt when she had pressed her hips against my own, and the gentle rock that we had begun to develop despite being clothed from the waist down as we kissed and touched each other's naked torsos, "Edward…please…yes, Edward!" I resisted the temptation to touch myself while thinking of her. I wouldn't sully her memory with my disgusting physical needs. I wouldn't give in to the images in my mind. I couldn't, not yet.

I fell to my knees. _'I can't do this. I can't possibly live like this. Bella, come back to me Love. I'll do anything…anything. Come back like my own drugged Juliet. Soothe the ache in my soul. Take what you want of me…I'll give you everything you ever asked for. What is my soul worth if I can't have you?' _What I wanted. What I needed was forever barred from me. Bella, My Angel, My Love, and my very salvation were gone from the world according to Jacob's mind…but the cell phone. I had dropped it with my clothes, but as I thought about it my hope was back. I had somehow lost sight of it again in my pain, but hope was going to have to save me now. Nothing else would. I slammed the water off again and grabbed the nearest towel off of the wall. Her scent was suddenly wrapped around me again. Like a comforting towel hug. I gently cradled the cell phone back into my palm and brought the cloth to my nose. I kissed the little device with my lips, and dried off quickly with my towel before sprinting lightly to my closet.

I put on a pair of jeans and a black button down shirt. I was officially wearing the color of mourning. Perhaps I should change? Would my wearing black hurt my family's lie? If he could read the depths of my sadness…how could I possibly pretend that I didn't know this horrible secret? Poor Alice. Carlisle was asking her to lie now in his study. She was accepting the task, although I heard her voice shiver with sobs. "Bella wouldn't want Charlie to hurt. She wouldn't want him to wonder where she was or if she was dead or alive. This is for the best." Carlisle's voice came to me from below. He was right. This was for more than us. This was for Charlie. He was just as much my father as Carlisle now. What was the difference of one day when two people had dedicated themselves to one another by word if not deed? I would see to it that Charlie and Renee were well taken care of before I died. I would transfer my holdings and property to Charlie and Renee and any children they might have. I imagined a little girl running through my home in Chicago that looked like Renee and Phil…and a passing resemblance to my Bella. It left me with a feeling of joy.

I heard my family sighing in sadness around me and Jasper walked in as I finished putting on my shoes with a look of sheer exhaustion and pain on his face. "Please tell me you are going over to Charlie's now."

"Yes Jasper." I looked down and nodded my head certain that he had felt every drop of excruciating pain, hunger, passion, lust, and joy that had passed through me.

"It's nothing personal, but the emotional roller coaster that you are on is bad for my health." I could tell he was trying to ease my pain the old fashioned way. Through his presence, and it was a very comforting feeling to know that my family was here. That they were still here even despite their own boundless grief and love, was proof that we were maybe not the monsters I had always painted us as. "I'm here. You know that right? Don't worry about sparing me from this…" he pointed between himself and me as if to indicate his ability. "it's just as much a part of me as you are. I want to know everything you're feeling. I like to know that you can still feel joy…even if it's for macabre reasons."

"I just…" now I was trying to defend what he'd felt, but it seemed ridiculous to try. "Thank you Jasper. I'm going to meet Emmett downstairs now. I need to see my human father." He smiled at me as we walked out the door as we parted ways on the steps and I caught a glimpse of Jasper folding his arms around a crumpling Alice.

'_I love you Edward. I love you so much.'_ It was Alice. _'I wish I could give you back your future. It really was beautiful. I'm going to work really hard to make this better for Charlie and Renee. I promise. You're right to want to help them. I saw that. I think Bella's selfless side was rubbing off on you.' _At that moment I was graced with her image of Bella walking down the isle at our wedding in a beautiful gown that made her look just like a girl I might have married when I was still alive. I gasped at how lovely she was. Her porcelain skin, her blush, her hair swept up in a bun with beautiful curls trailing from its center. She was like a vision from heaven. I gasped and held onto the image, an angel. "Thank you Alice." I whispered to her from the front door. Esme was no longer at the couch by the window. She was with Carlisle. It was just as well.

I reached the Jeep parked outside and I swung myself into the passenger seat. "I could get into a horrible fiery wreck on the way over and we could be pronounced dead on arrival?" Emmett. I smiled again. It sounded like something Bella would say. "I'm sorry. That's probably not helping."

"No. It was the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day." I closed my eyes as we took off down the driveway. "I'm sorry that I haven't been helping you to plan the fight. I'm going to be with you from now on." I looked over at the surprised look on Emmett's face.

"Rose seems to think that you're going to get yourself killed. She thinks you are going to go out there and stand with your hands in your pockets and do nothing." He looked back at me with an angry stare.

"I was thinking more with my arms flung wide embracing heaven and making it easier to tear my arms off." My lip curled up into the half grin that I was so famous for. It was becoming easier to smile all the time.

"JEZUS! Edward! Please don't do this." His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that it was in danger of deforming the wheel.

"I'm not being serious Emmett. I…I'm not sure what I will decide to do from here on out. I'm going to end my life…but I don't know if I'm going to do it in the fight with the Volturri." He looked harder at me. "I won't make you do it. Don't worry Emmett. I'm not that cruel. I'll have Sam do it. He seems like a reasonable guy for a werewolf. I'm not going to ask anyone that will be permanently scarred by my death."

"I'd be scarred whether I did it or not. Don't you see Edward? We need you. Even Rose. We can't be a family without you."

"Can I ask you something Emmett?"

"Ask away. Anything."

"What if Rose died? What if your angel was stripped from your life? How long would you last in this eternity without her?"

"I…" He just sat there and drove the jeep. We were at Charlie's house now and as we came to a stop Emmett looked over at me. His eyes were so lost…"I'm going to miss getting hit by you." He threw his arms around me. It felt so much like goodbye that I almost cried out in pain. The window was fixed. The house looked the same as it always did, but I knew its secret. I knew that it was empty and at the same time filled with pain.

"I'll be right back." I threw myself out of Emmett's truck with as much force as I slammed the door and noticed the jeep rock on its frame. I stole myself to tell all of the complicated lies that we had worked out. Walking toward the house I could hear Charlie and Renee. They were absolutely hysterical. Their thoughts were crazed and I couldn't make out what was going on. I walked in without knocking because my mind was too busy processing each thought.

'_I can't believe!'_ Renee.

'_I knew it. I was right.'_ Charlie.

"Where are you!!!" That was said out loud. Charlie again.

'_Ask her if she's coming back!'_ Renee.

"Ask her if she's coming back!" Renee out loud.

"Do you have any idea…No. I don't think so. How do you think he's been? Apparently they had to use tranquilizers so that he could make it through the week. Wait, no, he's right here." He looked at me with a stricken facial expression. "Why? Do you have something to say for yourself now?"

'_It better be that she's sorry.'_ Charlie.

'_Oh, I've never been so happy I was wrong. My baby is alive!'_ Renee.

Why had Alice already called? I thought they were going to wait until after I met with them. This certainly wasn't going to seem like happenstance. My family knew better than to make things too good to be true.

'_Why does she sound like she's going to have a panic attack?_' Why wasn't Charlie focusing on what Alice was saying? I couldn't hear her voice over the phone very well. It must be a bad connection.

"What do you mean…" Charlie had a look of fear on his face. "Wait. Please. Talk to him. Just explain yourself so that he can get on with his life. Even your Mom had the guts for that."

'_That was uncalled for Charlie._' Renee again.

"Let me talk to her Charlie." Renee walked toward the phone but for some reason he didn't give it to her.

"What the hell are you going to do there?" Charlie was purpling with anger. "JUST COME HOME!" I had never heard Charlie get that mad before. He was breathing with difficulty. I could only imagine the look of pain on Alice's face as she lied to Charlie. She loved Charlie very much. "Please…Just tell him." The phone was in my hands before I could stop him and I looked at it. I didn't want to hear even a well executed facsimile of Bella's voice. It would be like torture.

I held the phone up to my ear and spoke quickly before Alice could speak again. Perhaps she would have pity on me. "Hello?"

"Edward…" It was not Alice. No matter how good her imitation was to human ears it could not have tricked me. My face went slack and my eyes would have filled with tears if I were human. The pain was unimaginable.

"DEAR GOD! WHERE ARE YOU? Love, please. Speak again…I…I thought you were dead." It was my angel. She was alive. The wolves were wrong. Someone had made Jacob believe that the image in his head was real. Everything was turned upside down. She was alive…or at least she was in the world. Existing. Whatever happened beyond that was unimportant.

"I'm in Venice…I…have to go. Now." The line went dead. She was panicking as she hung up. I could hear it over the static and apparently the distance between us. I closed my eyes and then ran far too fast to the phone cradle staring at the caller ID. I hit the button to hang up the phone, listened for the dial tone and called the telephone company.

"Hello," My voice was calm even to my ears. I couldn't believe it wasn't shaking as much as I was. "I need the overseas number that just dialed this one. It should have been…"

"Sir, I'm sorry. There is no way to trace a number like that."

"Please. It may be a matter of life and death. My fiancée is in a hospital in Venice and I lost the connection with her doctor there. She's allergic to penicillin, and if they give it to her she'll die." Charlie and Renee just stood there staring at me while I lied into the phone. It sounded oh, so, convincing. Charlie looked at me warily.

"Sir…all I can tell you is that it's an unlisted overseas cell phone number. I'm so sorry about your fiancée. Do you know the hospital's name? Certainly they could…" I hung up on her.

"I'm sorry she left you like that Edward. I guess she wasn't ready." Charlie looked into my eyes with a tinge of sadness.

"It's okay Charlie. I…I don't know how I'm going to live without her, but I have to try to find her. She may not want to talk to me now…" I looked up and Emmett was pressed up against the window in the living room. He had a cell phone to his lips and was talking at a million miles an hour. Relating this turn of events to everyone at home I was guessing. "I'm going to try to win her heart back. She…" I gasped as a sob drug itself through my throat. They misinterpreted my joy as pain.

"Please forgive my daughter Edward." Renee looked at me with a guarded look. "I don't believe her story. I can't imagine her leaving you on her own. She wanted you. I could tell. I've never seen her want anything before…not like that. She was yours."

I looked at Renee and shook my head. "No…I was hers. A few minutes ago I was contemplating the end of everything. Now it's like I'm looking at the beginning."

"That was going to be really hard for you to achieve wasn't it." Renee was too much like Bella. She understood things too well. It was like she was figuring me out.

Charlie watched us like a tennis match. I kept expecting him to say something, but he didn't. Suddenly he walked toward the stairs and put his hand on the banister as if he was extremely tired. "I've been up for three days. She's alive. She's well. She's on my least favorite people right now list. I'm going to put myself to bed and deal with this later."

We both watched him trudge up the stairs. "Tell me something Edward. Tell me something and don't ever tell anyone else I asked. Don't ask how I found out or ask how I guessed or who I had to skin to find out okay?" I didn't know if I should answer this question. She looked like Bella when she knew too much. "Are you really a vampire?" The question actually threw me for a second, because like her daughter Renee didn't seem all that afraid of the answer.

"Do you really want the answer to a question like that?" I looked over to the window and Emmett was making cut motions across his neck and shaking his head in a negating fashion.

"I've decided it doesn't matter. Find her. Make her happy. Bring her back with her arms and legs and I don't care if she's one of the eternally damned as long as you make her happy." She kissed me on the cheek and pushed me toward the door. Emmett opened it for me, and I walked away to the Jeep with a dazed look on my face.

"NICE!" Emmett hugged me closer than he had only minutes before. It felt like it had been another lifetime. No longer a goodbye.


	7. Moving On

Escaping Sol

Complicated Truths

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

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Okay. You guys are all seriously great. I love all of the responses I've gotten. It's kinda nice to feel like I'm actually telling a story that someone is listening to. I can't wait to see how the next chapter is received. Seriously, you guys are SOOOOO cool.

All right, so I'm going to give you the other half of that phone conversation, and some hunting fun with Felix, but not exactly in that order.

Don't own. So sad.

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BPOV

I walked out of the room where Gianna had met her end a little less naked and a lot more informed. Most importantly I had learned that my super secret ability was not bloodlust, and this was kind of comforting. Of course my actual ability was, at the same time, not something that I was comfortable with at all. I was like a weird photocopy machine for vampire powers. I stole people's abilities from them. I would have to be so very careful from now on with my concentration. I would have to think about not borrowing from the limitless well of vampires around me. The Cullen family would probably be able to help me to a degree. Perhaps Carlisle would know how to block it all out…or maybe I just needed to retreat into myself and allow that part of me that didn't allow Edward into my head to flourish. My mind was my own. Wasn't that what Marcus had said to me? That my mind would be an impenetrable fortress? No one had the right to be inside it, just as I had no right to take what was theirs.

I was pretty sure though that Edward was never ultimately all that chuffed about being able to see everyone's thoughts. Sure it turned out to be very useful quite often, but I remember him being very frustrated with people. Especially when individuals were deliberate with their thoughts, like the times Emmett would conger up a naked Rosalie. Maybe this was why. When you didn't want to absorb three thousand years of history from someone and you do it on accident…it sucks. Felix looked over at me and gave me a lopsided grin. I still wasn't sure I liked Felix very much, but he was being mostly nice to me and for now that would have to do.

"So…are you going to let me get you something to wear for your first big hunt, or are you Cullens closet nudists?" Felix walked at a brisk pace toward what I assumed was a living quarters or at the very least, a closet.

"Felix, I'm not even going to grace that with a response." I glowered at the huge burly guard who was walking beside me. Obviously I had just gone through an involuntary three days of hell on earth. I wasn't ready to start acting like we were old friends, even if he had saved me from the madness of laying amidst corpses for the entirety of my transformation. I had a strange feeling that he had moved me on orders from the three prominent Volturri, and not as a philanthropic deed. "Did you happen to miss the part where I clawed off all of my clothes and probably a few layers of my epidermis while changing into a vampire?"

"Hey, I kind of like it. Nothing personal but you're kinda' hot." He raised his eyebrows and I felt sick to my blood quenched stomach. I also wasn't ready for anyone to flirt with me. I had, through no intent of my own, missed my own wedding after all. It wasn't directly Felix's fault, but I was taking it out on him for some reason. I held my right hand over my left and played gently with the circle of gold and precious stones. Two could play at this game if they were so inclined.

"So you liked it when Edward was showing off his naked pecs?" I figured that if I insulted his masculinity he would leave me alone.

"No, I don't think I swing that way. Unless there was something that you wanted to try, I mean, Edward isn't entirely unfortunate looking either…" Was he just suggesting? No such luck with insults apparently. He raised his eyebrows at me yet again. I missed my blush right about now. Normally I would have cursed it, but it felt unnatural to be embarrassed without feeling the heat of it. Warmth had permanently abandoned me.

"All right, that's enough. I don't want to do anything that would require me touching you, EVER!" Here I crossed my arms over my shoulders and looked away, but I felt a small bubble of laughter and I giggled quietly. I noticed that he looked like he had been offended a little by my entreaty. _'Stupid Bella!'_ I thought. I needed this guy on my side, so I attempted to lighten the moment again. "Clothe me please…I deserve to have something in my day make sense." I gave him a smile that I hoped didn't look too forced.

"Speaking of abnormal, what was it like?" Felix seemed to refocus on me and become serious for a second.

"What was what like?" I looked over at him with honest confusion.

"What was it like to see so much of Aro's life? He's so incredibly primeval. So completely a part of this world and what it is. It's probably like visiting the mind of a god or talking to the earth itself. If a river could talk…or rocks could tell you what they had seen. So ancient…and his memories are untainted by time. In fact, Aro is immortally locked in the same shape unlike a rock or a river that could be manipulated and changed over time, so he is more immortal." He turned a corner suddenly and I had to backtrack and catch up.

"It was overwhelming, painful, and way too much for me to take in at once or ever sort through." I had completely ruled out the idea of processing the thoughts because there were far too many. I had to pick out what I wanted to see, or it felt hazy. I didn't feel comfortable talking about this with him…everyone around here had an agenda. I didn't want to inadvertently hurt Aro by telling Felix something he didn't want him to know. "Mostly it felt like watching a really long endless movie with lots of parts that dragged in the middle."

Felix laughed out loud. "So it wasn't exciting at all? You've looked into the mind of a creature that could tell you about the fall of the Roman Empire by first hand recounting and you think it was boring?" He gave me a narrow glance.

_'I guess you've got something you'd like to see, huh?_' I thought. "I've got nothing that I feel like sharing. It really isn't my place to tell the secrets of other people's lives, is it?"

'_Besides, it's mostly gone now, not that I'm going to tell Felix_.' I can probably recall something if someone brought it up, most likely, but the experience left me feeling glad I don't have that quantity of time under my belt. I don't know how I would have handled being stuck with two lives going on in my head for the rest of my existence. "I think I've got enough on my plate as it is." I was startled to see Felix stop suddenly, turn to an ornate door set deeply into a long hallway, and bring out an ancient looking key.

"I have something you can throw on until you go out to get something presentable." He unlocked the door with the old looking key and walked into what looked like a very functional modern studio apartment. The walls were grey like the other parts of the castle, but it held the trappings of a life being lived. Sparse furniture like a expensive looking television, bookshelves, couch and a large bed that dominated the left side of the room. Books, computer, dishes piled in the sink…I had to think about that one for a second.

"Gianna." I accidentally said it out loud, because Felix turned around and shook his head sadly at me. I could smell her scent everywhere in the room. "She was living with you?"

"Not exactly…it was getting to that point though. You aren't the only one on the planet that's allowed to indulge in having a living to undead relationship you know. Although I guess that isn't an issue anymore for either of us." He wandered around for a second and then put his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor. Felix was big like Emmett, and he was also attractive like him, and I could see where Gianna wouldn't have minded her underhanded assignment. Was it so hard to believe that she had, in the end, loved him a little? Maybe all of the time they had spent together hadn't been a lie?

I immediately felt sorry for him. Even if he had just essentially aided in his ex-girlfriend's murder; inadvertently so had I if you wanted to get overly technical. I was in no position to help Felix with his sadness, and I had no reason to worry about his state of mind because I was not beholden to him. The scene flashed through my head and I saw Aro's delicate lips covered in Gianna's blood and I shivered first with disgust and then unbridled anticipation.

"Control issues, Love?" The droll question made me shiver again.

"What?" I glared up at Felix, but it couldn't have been him. Felix didn't know the guilty pleasure of what was in my mind right now.

"I didn't say anything. Did you hear something?" Felix looked at me waiting for a response.

I hadn't seen Felix move his lips. It dawned on me that it hadn't been said by my guide…I was answering my beautiful Edward hallucination out loud. It was definitely time to get more blood in my system. It was at this moment that I realized that it frustrated me that they were right. If I could still cry from frustration I would have been bawling by now. Alice, Jasper, Emmett…all of them had known how focused I would be on my thirst. They had known, and I hadn't believed them entirely. Even if it wasn't my only thought…It was always there in the back of my mind, the venom that pooled in my mouth and the desire for the sanguine liquid. The taste of blood had not been what I remembered it smelling like. It wasn't just rust and salt. It was an essence. It was life. It made me warm again, like my body was alive for just that second of decadent indulgence.

Poor Edward! What pain had I made him feel? Gianna had only been sweetly interesting to my blood starved mind and I had felt agony at my abstinence. If Aro was right…if his attraction to my blood had been that strong, how had that felt for him? It must have been a miserable torture being in love with me. Lying so close to my human body, the blood pumping through my veins taunting him every night enticing him to drink my very soul. He had thirsted for my body and my blood. I had understood his physical desire, keen as I was to my own heated passions, but I had never even guessed to the pull of my blood. He was even more of an angel now in my mind. I would never understand what made him love me so completely that he could exercise so much control. I loved him even more in my direct understanding of his longing for me, and to think that I had demanded he make love to me? How dare I torment him like that? What a fool I had been…what a torturing, evil woman I was. It made me hungry to be with him again, to apologize for my selfishness and to be with him now that I was no longer his singer. Now that we were equal…now that he couldn't break me with the things that we would do.

I realized then that I still wanted Edward more than anything in the world, and it made me happy. When I was waiting for my wedding day I recalled that had been my biggest fear, losing Edward because I wasn't myself anymore. The concept that blood might be more important to me than my love for Edward was unendurable to me. I closed my eyes and hoped that I would see him again some day soon. I hoped that he wasn't dead…well; I hoped that he was still in the world with me. I opened my eyes as a heavy whiff of Gianna's scent wafted up my nose, and Felix continued hunting through his clothes that were far too big for me. I still wanted Edward, his heart, his mind, and definitely his body.

"Ummm, it's nothing." I had to answer his question about my strange outburst. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories Felix…I just kind of wondered how you were holding up." Answering his question as best I could, I asked a question of my own. He looked up and shrugged his shoulders.

"It hurts that she would betray me so completely. I've had a kind of revenge. It's good enough for right now." We both knew that it wasn't entirely answering the question, but I hadn't answered his question either, and we weren't friends. He turned back toward the clothing rack and pulled out a pair of black leather pants that would probably fit me. I eyed them wearily.

"Is that a joke?" I had never worn anything so obviously uncomfortable. I pointed at the fabric like it was a dead thing…it was a dead thing. Leather wasn't exactly a breathable fabric. I realized just before I was going to point out the lack of practicality in the pair of offered pants that I didn't need to worry about breathable fabrics anymore. No breath, no sweat glands, no soul. I couldn't wear his clothes, so whatever Gianna had left behind would have to be good enough. It occurred to me that she was ever so slightly bigger than I, taller and a probably curvier. I would never earn the true swell of a woman's body. I was only 18 after all, and I was never going to get any older.

"It's what I have. Here, I've got a white tank top you can put with it…and an extra button down you can throw over that. Unfortunately that's going to be my size. You will have to roll up the sleeves." He handed me the clothes and I was about to protest about a bra…and maybe underwear…but then I remembered that I would never need a bra again. Vampires didn't sag…I guessed that I didn't bounce too much either, but I wasn't willing to hop up and down to check with Felix in the room staring at me. I looked down, looked up again and waited for Felix to turn around.

"What?" He seemed oblivious to why I was still standing there not getting ready.

"Once again…a joke?" I gave him a very lame glare. "You can't seriously expect me to change in front of you? Tell me you're kidding."

"I don't understand. You're feeling shy now? I've seen you naked recently. For like ten minutes or more. Definitely more if you count all the time I watched you walk down the halls on the monitors. Why are you feeling all self-conscious now?" He was right. It was a little ridiculous; but if I was going to hold on to what was left of my dignity that included having a small amount of modesty.

"I'm alone with you. No other girls or older vampires to keep you occupied. Turn around." He did and I threw on the clothes quickly. I found vampire speed slightly disconcerting. I'd never been a fast person. I was too ungainly to ever consider doing anything too quickly. When I did…I fell down a lot. I hadn't even fallen down once since my three days of continuous torture. What a trade off. I'm endlessly thirsting for blood, but I had finally gained equilibrium. I wandered over to the bed and sat down. My comfortable old sneakers were thrown at me, and I looked up confused.

"I thought you might need these." I started to bawl without tears. It was the strangest thing, the sounds of sadness with no tears. It's funny, the little things that could set a person off. These were MY tennis shoes. They would look stupid with a pair of high end leather pants that, having them on, I'd decided was in need of a belt. MY shoes left over from the time that I was living, and not one of the living dead. It was harder to be happy about this situation so far from home and my family. This had not been a conscious decision…it was an assault. Did they have vampire prison for soul rape? I shuddered again with a sob. "What's wrong? I'm sorry. This has been a really hard week for you hasn't it?" Felix sat down next to me and the bed sagged considerably under his weight.

"Does this ever get easier?" I looked him in the eyes and waited for an answer for considerably longer than I had thought it would take a person like Felix to answer. He seemed to really be weighing the answer in his head.

"No. I don't think it ever gets easier. Even the way your lover lives is probably hard. You are going to fight your very nature to feed upon humans. You are what you are, and for you it will be even harder still. I'm just really strong. It's not a particularly sought after ability. You have an amazing power…it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Anyone who finds out about what you can do who has even a drop of ambition will try to use you. I have my place here in Volterra, and I've been here for so long that it's easy for me to feel entitled to respect because of my position. When I was brought into this life by my Sire I was explained the rules, taught to hunt, and abandoned very soon after. I've never been sure why he left, or why he made me. I might have just been an experiment to see if he could. You already have a life, or the pretense of one, a mate, a coven, and the power to protect them. You are lucky…but so very unlucky. It's going to be hard on you." Felix was feeling sorry for me. It showed on his face.

"Thanks for the encouragement. You're really bad at this whole comfort thing aren't you?" I said it with a smile and put my tennis shoes on, I had yet to put on the over shirt and wondered if I shouldn't just tie it around my waist to cinch the pants…I was certainly strong enough, and if I tied it uncomfortably tight I would never notice. He smiled back encouragingly and put his hand on my shoulder. I felt strength surge through my body and Felix slumped back with his eyes blinking rapidly like he'd taken a sucker punch to the gut. Meanwhile I felt like I'd taken a shot of adrenaline. "GOD, I'm so sorry!" I concentrated and the feeling went away.

"Rule number one. You never do that again." Felix looked slightly uncomfortable, like I'd done something to him that wasn't nice and probably quite deliberately.

"I swear I didn't do it on purpose!" I put my hands up in a plaintiff gesture and he smirked at me while rolling his eyes. I was still clumsy…now it was just a different level of clumsy.

"You need to feed. Let's go." He got up off of the bed and was flexing his hands and stretching like a cat. "That was a really weird feeling…like I was almost as weak as a human for a second."

"I really didn't mean to…" I had stood while I said this and quickly tied the shirt around my hips as I had planned. It was then that I remembered that I hadn't yet even so much as seen my own reflection. I looked for a way to observe myself as I began to walk out behind him and I noticed for the first time that there was a full length mirror on the back of the door. I couldn't speak for a second. I was so different. I was so much the same, but so different. I could never explain all of these changes to anyone from my life before…I stood out as rather unremarkable in my memories. I was unnervingly symmetrical. My hip bones showed off my sleek stomach above the leather…I had noticed myself being thinner and more toned, but looking in the mirror I could see the unnatural beauty that I had become. My breasts were a bit fuller…I would need new stuff. My hair was silky and straight my cheek bones were more defined, my nose perfect, my eyes…were a horrifying shade of ruby. I turned away from them so that I wouldn't have to look. They were just like Felix's eyes…just like Aro's.

I was officially a beautiful monster. Not as beautiful as Rosalie…not heart wrenchingly so, but still I looked ethereal, like a storybook beauty. The only thing that tipped off the reader as to the fact that this was a horror story was my glowing red eyes. The word monstrous was the only word I could attribute to those awful eyes. They were perfectly shaped…but they gave me away for the murderer I could become. Could Edward call the red eyed demon before me an angel? My mother…whom I couldn't remember the exact eye color of now…would notice. She noticed lots of things that other people didn't. She had known the instant she met…who? She was married, but I couldn't remember his name. Charlie would notice my eyes were no longer brown, but shining red. He would know that the creature in front of him was inhuman. It made me upset that I wasn't really Charlie's daughter anymore. I was Bella, but I was not.

"Don't just stand there. We're on a schedule here girly." Felix grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the hall. At first he drug me along at a normal pace, but then he was running at an astounding speed and I could not only keep up…but I knew I could run faster. "Much better Bella, you learn fast." I couldn't help but smile from the small amount of praise I'd just been given. We made our way through the building and into a large garage. Felix walked directly to a Honda Shadow Spirit 750 and grabbed two helmets. "Ever ridden a bike before Bella Cullen?" I felt my nonexistent heart speed up. This was exactly what I needed right now.

"Let's just say I went through a rebellious phase and leave it at that." I smiled as I put the helmet over my head. "Why are we wearing these?" It only stood to reason that getting in an accident finally wouldn't kill me.

"It's so I don't have to tackle you every time we drive by a large group of people. All that padding should help. I've got a full strap on the bottom that covers your whole chin. I assume you don't want to hunt the human population? It's not too late for you to change your mind. You'll be an excellent hunter Bella." He seemed so certain that I would be such a good monster, but no. I didn't want to drain people of their life force. I didn't want to take anything from anyone, be it powers or blood. Felix climbed on the front of the bike and I jumped on the back. I anticipated the sweet blood flowing like rivers down my throat and came very close to changing my mind.

"Bella…you don't want to be a real monster, do you?" Edward's voice was asking me about monsters. Did I want to be a real fiend? No. I shook my head instead of answering, because I was almost certain that even though I was shaking my head no, I would say yes to Felix. I wanted human blood just as much as my Edward's voice wanted me to abstain from it. It was so hard to be good, even with him telling me to.

"Fine, but you have no idea what you're missing out on." He smiled at me and kicked the bike to life. "I hate driving that damn car. This is going to be so much more fun. Besides, I can't possibly lock a vision like you in the trunk. It would be inhumane. I want to show you off. It's your birthday after all." I quirked my eyebrow at him as we began to drive out the doors of the garage.

The cobblestones of the street caused a vibration of the bike that was jarring, but not painful. If I had been human my teeth probably would have already bitten clean through my tongue and shattered against themselves. I was shocked about the strong scent of humans around me. They were everywhere, but strangely all over…all around them…were my kind. They weren't the ones that I was afraid of though. I was clutching my arms in a viselike grip around Felix. The strong scent of the people around me was what was painful. I wanted to drink them. To savor the flavor of each new blood scent that I caught and there were hundreds. Edward was practically snarling in my head. He seemed to think that Felix was doing this on purpose. "He knew that you would be vulnerable. He's the monster, not you Love."

Once we were far enough outside the city I could enjoy the feeling of freedom that being on a motorcycle once more brought. I threw my arms out into the open air and Felix buried the needle on the speedometer. It was an exhilarating feeling, the speed, and the vibration of the motor as we tore across the pavement. The green countryside flew by until we reached an area that was more forest than field. The drive had set a tone for what was about to happen. I leapt off of the bike and threw the helmet from my head. I had to feed again before I drew upon another person accidentally. I wouldn't be able to restrain myself any longer with or without Edward to be disappointed at me. I could only imagine the harsh words he would have for me while I feasted upon the people of Italy. He would be so very angry…but so accepting. I imagined him holding me and stroking my hair as I cried over the body of an innocent person. He would tell me that it was going to be alright, that he would take care of me. He would hide the evidence of their death. I shook my head. I never wanted him to have to do that for me. I would resist this ultimate temptation, and put Rosalie's record to shame. I would kill no one.

I felt Felix's presence more than I saw him. I knew he was in the forest with me, but somehow I couldn't stop long enough to physically look for him. My mind was filled with nothing but instinct. The green and brown of the trees and the grasses skimmed beneath my feet. When I finally saw the stag that I had smelled when Felix had pulled toward the trees I saw how magnificent the beast in front of me was. Immediately the animal too had realized what stood in front of him. He began to run but I had crouched down hurled myself toward a tree to the left and planted my feet against the trunk. It splintered and shattered but not until I had forced my momentum toward the right. I caught the stag around the left rack of its antlers and let my feet fall to the ground with enough time to reestablish my path. I had thrown my body back in what I hoped would bring me around in a summersault. I pulled the antler around in a small tight circle its neck snapping and I let go just as I was about to tear its head off and my feet were coming back to earth. I landed quietly despite the crashing noise I'd made earlier and brought the beast up to my lips where I tore open the throat of the creature that was now dead under me. I wasn't sure if it had felt any pain. All I knew was what I was feeling. The creature was not small and the blood gushed out over my lips and down my chin. The liquid sluicing down my throat was like heaven. I fought against the internal picture I was creating of myself. No wonder Edward would never let me watch this. I was a monster!

Finally drained of its blood I sat down next to the empty stag. I was undecided about how I felt. Usually when I was human something like this would probably cause a bit of a crying jag, but this was part of who the Cullens were. This was my only respite from the endless hunger that even now was reasserting itself. If I didn't choose to drink animals I would most certainly succumb to feeding on humans, and that was wrong. Felix walked up and as I tilted my head back and smiled. I had been athletic and graceful and now I could honestly say that I wasn't afraid of this aspect of who I was. I had to eat, but I didn't have to be a murderer. "Well, we're pleased with ourselves aren't we?" He brought out a handkerchief and cleaned the left over blood from my meal that was dripping down my throat and over my chest. He caught it just before it reached the white of the shirt. "You are a messy eater Bella."

"Oh, I'm sure that your first time it was like a manners symposium." I smiled and ran my tongue over my teeth to clean them. I had a few hairs on my lips from the early fall coat the beast had been growing. I swiped my arm across my face and wished I had a mirror to get rid of all of it. "I feel pretty incredible. I think I'm going to do that again."

"You should have done this immediately. I've never seen someone hold off feeding like you have. Avoiding the first meal you were offered and then eating something as small as that mouser and then wading through a sea of humans? I was sure I was going to have to haul you back a few times, but it never happened. I kind of wanted to see how strong your resolve was. I'm feeling a little bad about it now." He scratched the back of his hand and stared at the skin like he'd been bitten by a mosquito, but of course that would be impossible. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Probably, but that's only because I want to get a ride back. Walking back to Volterra would take me like…an hour." I had won this round against my urges, and it gave me an emotional high. "I'm going to hunt some more…and then we should get back. We have to make it to the airport."

"I don't understand your strange diet, but whatever works for you. I'll wait back by the bike. You don't seem to need my help to find your instincts…I can see that you're quite the quick study. I told you that you'd be an excellent hunter." Felix started to turn around and I put my hand on his shoulder. I was about to bridge a gap that I wasn't sure I was ready to walk across. I was about to really open up to Felix…to speak to him like a friend.

"I'm so far from home…I'm so far from my family…and my friends. What am I Felix? What have I become? Who was I before I came here? I keep being surprised by the things that I don't remember…If I don't get home soon, I'm afraid that I'll forget everyone I loved and everything that I was." I'm sure the look on my face was panicked as I said this because Felix looked deeply in my eyes and shook his head at me.

"Why don't you just call them then?" He held out a small black cell phone. It was like the device was a lifeline, the first thing that had looked like hope in this new un-life that I had gained against my will. "Our rules are simple. Humans can't know us for what we are…your silence on this matter will keep the Volturri away from your quiet peaceful deer eating life." Here he rolled his eyes. "Remember. We are watching you." He gave me a look and turned away from me and the cell phone he dropped into my palm. There was only one problem, I couldn't recall the numbers. I held the phone and I waited for inspiration to take me. I decided to concentrate while I fed and slipped the tiny phone into the shallow pocket on the leather pants. I needed to run…to be with my thoughts and so I took off into a light canter.

I took a small pleasure in the sights and smells around me. Everything was so much more pronounced as a vampire, the scent of the trees and the grasses, the rotting decay of plants and animals. I could do one thing I had never even thought of doing before, I could individualize the scents. I could track one scent above all others if I chose one from amongst the many. I had never thought that it would take me by surprise that I was so very different now. It was distracting and wonderful. How could anyone live without this level of acuity? I was the ultimate hunter, the ultimate killer…and I could choose to be distracted by the flora and fauna around me or I could concentrate on many different things at once. I, it seemed, was also the ultimate multi-tasker. The sweet smell of the grasses and leaves, the chatter of the squirrels above me…who were disturbed by my presence and all of the myriad sounds and smells of life were strong all around me. Unfortunately, I was not alive to enjoy it. However this thought made me wonder about how my power would work and if I could shut one out while embracing another. How would I learn how to control this strange new part of myself?

The forest here wasn't very thick and I came to the edge and turned around as I wandered into another deer. This time I was less desperate for the blood of the animal and I simply ran abreast of it and snaked my arms around its head and cleanly snapped its neck to the right. I sank down and tore through the sinew into the free flowing veins. The blood was hot and thoroughly wonderful. I sat over the draining corpse and let the sounds and smells take me once more and I realized that I was not alone. My eyes darted up to the creature that was watching me. It was a wolf with a mottled brown-ish red coat. It was small and sleek looking. Its eyes were questioning…doleful that I had reached its prey first. I shivered and tore one of the deer's haunches throwing it to the animal. As it tore into the flesh that I was not going to devour I had a flashback to my old life. Giant wolves running into a clearing while an unfriendly face turned and ran from me. A giant russet wolf that turned into a beautiful dark skinned man, who held out his hand to me and I shuddered out the only word I had spoken since speaking to Felix. "Jacob." This wolf was small and would probably never turn into a man…but I was so very upset that I almost got up and threw my arms around the tiny insubstantial creature.

It was the first time I had really remembered Jacob, for now I realized that my vision of someone holding me against my will and kissing me had been him. I had loved him and he had loved me, and now he would most certainly despise me. Jacob would find me hideous and foul. I was his loathed enemy. He would think I was a monster…and I was. Looking down at the deer I had drunk I felt the confidence that I had gained drain away at the thought of Jacob. He had tried so valiantly to save me from this fate…and he and Edward had both failed to keep me from it. The wolf near me made a small noise in its throat and drug the limb away from me as if he could no longer stand my presence. I closed my eyes and pulled out the phone letting my fingers find the number pad and dial. The ring of the cell phone found my ears jarring in the silence. I waited for the phone to pick up, but it just seemed to ring endlessly. Unfortunately it only seemed to be a long time because I was immortal, and that immortality led to the impatience of human slowness.

"Chief Swan." I shuddered at hearing Charlie's voice.

"Dad?" I heard my voice quiver, but it was still clear and bell like, the sweet beautiful voice of the damned.

"Bella? OH MY GOD!!! RENEE!" I held the phone away from my more sensitive ear. He was extremely agitated, and I was glad that I wasn't around him because I could only imagine how delicious his blood would be with the shock coursing through it. "Where the FUCK are you?!?" I had never heard Charlie curse so blatantly and it made me wish I could blush again to release the tension.

"Charlie? I'm sorry…I" I suddenly realized that I hadn't made up an excuse about my disappearance. How could I lie to him when he was so afraid for me? He was hurting for me, scared that I have been injured or abused. I could almost hear the images he was conjuring in his head. Me raped and beaten, because there is no way that he could imagine me leaving my Edward by any other way than by force. "Are you okay Charlie?"

"No! I'm not okay…my daughter disappeared from my house. I thought she had been killed or kidnapped." I heard his voice soften slightly despite the questionable reception that the little device was having out here in the Tuscan wilderness. Oh! He had guessed right. I was kidnapped and killed, and it almost made me laugh that he knew. It must have been his cop instincts. "It's her Renee! She's alive!" How wrong he was…but I wasn't about to argue the semantics. I heard my mother's voice over the static. She was crying. "Oh! Charlie! She's okay! I can't believe I doubted you…" It sounded like they were hugging and I tried to imagine the two of them together. I couldn't do it. Renee was a separate entity from Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, he was back and I thought I heard the door open and close in the background. "Where are you!!!"

"Ask her if she's coming back!" Renee shouted in the background, and I tried to focus on the memories of our life together in Phoenix although they seemed like ephemeral wisps of thought. They trickled through my mind like fine sand through fingers at the beach. I wanted to shout to my mother that I'd be back…but I wasn't so sure now that I had them on the phone. Why had I called them? Wouldn't I just have to disappear from their lives soon anyway? This had not been thought out before hand, and it was just like I was making things up as we went along. Unfortunately that wasn't the smart thing to do at this point, but I could recall no one else's number.

"Do you have any idea…" I had to talk to him before he continued to reprimand me.

"Dad, please! This is important! Have you seen Edward? I mean have you actually seen him?" It seemed like a stupid question, but I had to make sure that he was there. If he wasn't I don't think I could make it through another day.

"No. I don't think so."

"Has anyone said anything about his health? Is he okay? Please tell me Dad, how is Edward?" I had to know, but if Charlie hadn't seen him any one of the Cullen family could pretend to be Edward's voice. I felt my stomach clench and sniffed the air as a divine smell reached my nose. Someone was here in this forest with me, and it was a very overwhelming scent that wafted up at me through the trees. Whoever this was, I was in danger…so I began to move away as fast as I could.

"How do you think he's been? Apparently they had to use tranquilizers so that he could make it through the week." My stomach dropped. Charlie had not seen him.

"So…you haven't…" Charlie interrupted me.

"Wait, no, he's right here. Why? Do you have something to say for yourself now?" I sagged against a tree as the scent of the human washed over me again. He had now seen Edward in the room with him. I wanted to scream out to Edward and to tell him that I needed him desperately. I had accidentally gone closer to the scent of him or her rather than farther away and now I heaved with the effort of not dropping the phone and killing the innocent individual or now that I took a deep breath I realized there were two…

"I've got to get out of here. I can smell their blood…" My instinct was so deeply in charge of my body at that moment that it voiced my thoughts to Charlie. I couldn't possibly explain any of that to him.

"What do you mean…wait." He was going to beg me to give information I couldn't give; to tell him that I was coming home, and that I would see him again soon. The truth was that I didn't know if I would ever see Charlie again. It made my desire to speak about Edward that much more selfish.

"I don't know if I'm coming back Charlie…I don't know anything anymore, but I'm calling to let you know that I'm alive. I should probably go now." The bike and Felix had come into view. I wanted to get out of there before I did something I would regret. I wanted to put the helmet back on and get back onto the open road before the bloodlust that I thought I'd had under control took over.

"Please. Talk to him. Just explain yourself so that he can get on with his life. Even your Mom had the guts for that." I paused as I picked up the phone and Felix swung his leg up and over the bike. He smelled them as well, and he had the look of a person who wanted very much to abandon me and follow his instinct just as I had only twenty minutes before.

"Let me talk to her Charlie." My mother was talking in the background and I could picture her holding her hand out. I only had eyes for one voice though and I prayed that he would take the phone before I hunted and killed the people in the woods with me. "Look Charlie…I'm going to spend some time here in Europe…" I let it lead off so that he could have time to respond.

"What the hell are you going to do there?" Charlie was purpling with anger I could hear it. I could nigh on taste it with this strange couple in the forest with me. "JUST COME HOME!"

"I can't Charlie…I can't!" I wanted once again to do more than shiver and shake and tell my father to give up hope. I wanted to do more than lust after the sweet blood I smelled all around me.

"Please…Just tell him." Tell him? Tell him what? Tell him I'd been violated, changed into a vampire? If he had heard me state that I was in Italy he probably already knew deep inside what he'd find if he looked for me. There was a pause and a small sound of the phone being moved about.

"Hello?" His sweet voice left me feeling like my heart was beating and I was alive again in spite of myself. I could hardly breathe now with them either coming closer, or whatever it was that was making breathing so completely impossible.

"Edward…" I felt so broken.

"DEAR GOD! WHERE ARE YOU? Love, please. Speak again…I…I thought you were dead!" He sounded so heart wrenchingly beautiful and just as desperate for me as I was for him. I would do anything he asked of me. Where was I indeed? My Edward, and not the one that kept me from the blood and lived here in my head, but the real one was speaking. He sounded like he'd been broken and fixed all in one sentence and like he'd never hoped to hear my voice again.

"I'm in Venice…I…have to go. Now." I snapped the phone shut and shoved the helmet over my head. I could take it no longer and Felix slammed the bike into gear away from the two smells that were so unbelievable. I registered in my mind that I had just hung up on Edward and probably gotten my location wrong besides. However I could not do otherwise with the enticing aroma surrounding me and begging me for a resolution. I couldn't think anymore, and if I couldn't think…I would probably be acting on instinct alone, and that was dangerous. We flew away from the overwhelming aroma over the midnight colored pavement. Fittingly it was perhaps as black as our souls.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded over the roar of the engine some time later. "Why was I ready to drink those people after taking down two big deer?" I felt fine again now that we were gone from the humans, and I felt as if I were sated and filled. Like the thirst was under complete control. Felix slowed and pulled over after we were about twenty miles away from what had driven us this way. Somehow we heard each other through the endless layers of fabric and foam.

"Two humans, making love, an awesome way to catch them, they have no idea what is going on post coitus. They taste a million times sweeter like that." I shuddered and let out a small noise of horror. "Oh don't judge it till you've tried it."

"Since I'll never try it, I'll have to take your rather disturbing word on that. Will that always be that bad? Will I always lose control like that?" I was properly fed and the enticing smell had effected me down to my bones.

"How the hell should I know? I'm not some fussy vegetarian vampire. You made your bed now lie in it." He rolled his eyes at me and then abruptly changed the subject. "Did you enjoy talking on the phone?" He looked at me blankly, and I returned the vacant stare and his little black phone, which he interned back into his pocket.

"No…because my family was sure I was dead and so was Edward. They don't deserve to feel that much pain." He pulled back onto the road and sped off back toward his home as if I hadn't spoken…but soon after he spoke softly in return…almost so I couldn't hear him over the engine, helmet, tires, and the whipping wind.

"Don't worry about it. Edward will be by your side soon enough." As he said this we took off speeding faster down the pavement and back to Volterra. In my heart I knew he was right, but somehow I had still never felt farther away from my heart and as we neared the city on the hillside I knew that this would be much harder than it seemed from the outside.


	8. The Steps We Take

Escaping Sol

The Steps We Take

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

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Edward is getting strung out and strung along. I wonder how long it's going to take me to break him? Huh….Oh well. As usual I'm going to say thanks for all the great reviews! Also, I try to respond back to everyone who made a comment because it's lots of fun. I'm such a nerd.

ACTION! This is the start of some major plotish fun! Finally Edward is going to do something other than sulk…and I can't wait to rock out his next chapter because that is going to be full scale…well…you'll see.

I don't own Edward, or Bella, or Jacob. Sad but true. I own none of them, so I'm going to borrow them and try not to scuff them up too badly before I give them back.

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EPOV

I got back into the jeep in a haze. She had lived. My angel…my reason for existing was still here with me. Granted she was half-way around the world in a foreign country. I tried not to think too heavily on the implications of her being in Italy. We already knew who had taken her…and it was a stretch for me to believe they were going to return her in the same condition she'd arrived in. If she were still human it would be a miracle, and I was born a pessimist. I tried to imagine what was going on there without me, and her being so far away. I felt a stab of guilt at the thought that she had suffered while I had sat immobile in my pain. Once again I had failed to come to her when she needed me most, first with Victoria and now this. Emmett had quickly joined me in the vehicle and peeled out of the driveway of Charlie's house. We hadn't been in the car very long when Emmett turned and looked at me and asked the question that was already occupying my mind.

"So? Now what?" He was very excited about the news of Bella's "resurrection."

"You know Emmett. I really have no idea." I wanted to say that we would go to Italy and rescue her immediately…but there are so many holes in our intelligence on this subject. They had obviously stolen her right out from under our noses. "I want to meet the pack tonight as planned." I wanted to make sure they were brought up to date on the new situation as well. There was much that we all needed to discuss, and Jacob deserved to know everything that we had just learned.

"Nothing stupid, that sounds like a pretty good plan all things considered my brother. I mean, there isn't much we can do immediately. I called Rose and told her about what just happened…but I told her not to tell everyone unless they started to implement a plan. I'm guessing that Alice already knows now too. She's been really frantic lately about anything that has anything to do with Bella. She's looking for any information, so I bet she's waiting for us when we get back to the house. I think this is something that we have to discuss together before someone gets it in their head to wander off on their own to exact justice." Here he looked at me with a very severe look that may as well have said "I can read your mind" for all its menace.

"I promise you that I will not go to Italy by myself when there is a chance that she is still alive." I meant it too. It would be foolish to go alone because there was a chance that I would end up needing to fight for Bella's freedom and I could not save her from them alone. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something. The call had been cut off so quickly after I had gotten on. Maybe she had been allowed to speak only with Charlie and Renee…but I couldn't imagine the Volturri allowing for Bella to speak with her human parents to ease their minds. In fact they would probably ignore any entreaties that she made on a personal level. So why had they allowed her the phone? Or maybe she had stolen it? Maybe she had taken the phone from one of her captors and that was why she had left so quickly? Either way, Emmett had just slammed on the breaks in front of the house and we were climbing quickly out of the Jeep.

"Rose!" He crashed into her as if she had been the one missing from our lives. "I can't believe it…I just can't…" He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could, seeking comfort for the strange joy in the chaos we had entered now, for this was not a solved situation. Bella could still be killed if we weren't careful and the Volturri decided that she was unnecessary. Watching their display of emotion was something that made me twinge with longing. I wanted Bella in my arms again. I thought about her voice, her laugh, and her walk. I imagined how sweet she would smell; even if she were no longer human…it wasn't only her blood with its beating heart and scent that drew me to her. At first they had intrigued me, I admit, but it was her manner, her very disposition that made my Bella so much my match. I had waited one hundred years to find someone that was perfectly suited to my moods, my own disposition. I loved asking her what she was thinking, and how she was feeling…and her answers always surprised me. There wasn't a moment where I could predict what was going to come out of her mouth. Her luscious lips…I closed my eyes and saw her face again, passion filled and thrown back. I shuddered with the idea that somewhere out there I could find her again if I looked. That hope was not lost. Hope…my eyes opened and I knew that if I could cry a tear would certainly be trailing down my cheek.

"Edward…" Rosalie looked up at me with an understanding gaze. She knew how much pain I'd been in, they all did. She'd been against Bella joining us in this unholy life, but she had never wanted for any of us, even me, to suffer. "I'm so sorry." She looked up at her husband and smiled into his eyes. "I'm sorry this hasn't gone the right way…that those monsters have your wife." It had been the first time anyone had so much as acknowledged her as my spouse…but the term made me smile nonetheless_. 'How will we take her back? There is no question about that Edward…we will take her back!'_ She glared past me as if she could see Volterra from the protection of her husband's arms.

"I appreciate your candor Rose, let's get inside and tell everyone what has happened. We can't think ahead without some kind of plan. I won't loose her again because we were unprepared." Rosalie let go of Emmett and as they both began to mount the stairs the door was thrown open by a frantic Alice, it crashed against the plaster and stayed open…not even bouncing from the impact. I saw a small puff of plaster dust. It was lodged quite rigidly in the wall.

"ALICE!!!!" It was Esme she walked over to inspect the door and I saw a small shake of her head as she tried to pull out the knob without destroying more of the plaster. "What are you doing? Why are you destroying more of my house? I thought we had discussed this…" It made me wonder what parts of the house she'd already torn into in her anger. Finally it swung free from its plaster prison but not without a chunk falling out of the wall. Esme caught the chunk of wayward wall before it would shatter against the floor creating more of a mess, swore, and thought about getting a broom and dustpan to clean the disorder. She was about to turn away, but she was frozen in place by Alice when she screeched out her first question to me.

"IS IT TRUE???" She looked at me with absolute longing on her face and ignoring Esme completely. Alice bounced lightly on her feet, waiting for me to confirm what Emmett guessed she had already seen. Our mother looked between us. She seemed to understand the moment her eyes fell on me that this was going to be a defining moment, a moment in time that would surpass any need to fix the simple mess from the door. I saw the chunk of plaster she had been holding slide from between her fingers and break into pieces against the wood. We all walked up the stairs and into the old white house. I saw that someone had drawn the metal shutters across the view of the mountains and the Sol Duc river snaking out to the sea. I wondered if it was Alice or Rosalie.

"Everyone. Please meet in the living room. There has been a change in the situation." Carlisle ran down the stairs with a strained look probably wondering what new awfulness would befall us now that I had spoken with Charlie, Jasper walking down behind him with a look of confusion on his face. The emotions in me must have been strange for him. One minute I was in the very depths of hell…but the voice of my angel had lifted me to the sky. "I don't know how to say this…Esme…" I looked up at Carlisle and he walked forward to place a hand on my shoulder. "Carlisle…" I was so ready to tell them, to let them know that their daughter, their sister, their best friend was alive. "Alice, it's true. It's true Alice." I let out a gasping sob as she tore forward and knocked me out of Carlisle's grasp and over to the floor in her absolute joy. "She's alive, Alice. Alive." She hugged me and my father gasped in surprise and drew Esme close to him. I hugged Alice until she let go and Jasper pulled her away to him and off of me.

'_I don't know why I didn't see her…or why I still can't. It doesn't matter Edward. It doesn't! As long as Bella is alive and we can be a family I don't care if I'm broken. Seeing the future was boring anyway, I mean it ruins all of my anniversaries…and sometimes it really ruins my day.'_ Alice hugged Jasper and began to stare into his eyes and they were sparkling with joy. Through Jasper's ability we all felt her extreme happiness and I felt as if we were saturated in it, but something she had just said was troubling me, and I would have to ask her after this was all over.

Carlisle and Esme were embracing as if they had just found each other again. Their daughter had suddenly been returned to them by my words, my convictions making it true. "How?" He whispered it into my mother's hair. "How could this be? Jacob's memories…"

"Have been tampered with by the Volturri, I'm almost certain of it father." I spoke with assurance. "I spoke with her. I know it was her voice," and I said it with such belief that he shook his head and accepted my word as truth. Emmett nodded his head and began to interject on my behalf.

"It had to be her. I've never seen Charlie so mad in my entire life." He smiled at me and shook his head. "Renee was just so happy. This has to be real. It has to be."

I intruded on Emmett's speech. "She's in Italy…she said Venice…but I'm willing to bet she's a little disoriented." I looked at my family and Esme threw her hand over her mouth, gasping.

"Oh, Edward do you think that they have taken her life? Do you think that they have…" I didn't let Esme say it out loud. My arms instantly gripped my sides, holding myself together. I would allow that horrifying thought for my mind's eye only. I didn't want to think of her writhing in pain for three days clawing at her body as I knew they would allow her to do. They would not aid her in comfort for her change. It would be brutal and painful and they would probably just lock her away in some cold stone room until it was all over. She would wake up probably half crazed, alone, and horrified by what she had become. She would be given human blood. She would partake of the sweet liquid without restraint because she was a newborn…Oh God! What if that was why she had run from me on the phone? Her parents would not know about her new fearsome life…but I would know what she had become, and all of the trappings of that life. What if she had been ashamed of herself…thought that I would not understand the weakness of the newborn hunger? _'Oh Bella! I would love you even if you had sweetly drained half of the city of Volterra. I am no saint.'_

"I don't know. Our conversation was short…and she was so very panicked. I'm not sure about anything but the fact that she is here in this world and it is enough for me." It truly was. I could stand to survive and breath and I didn't want to die. I didn't want to end my existence anymore.

"Of course it is son." Carlisle had let go of his wife and crushed me in his own embrace and I felt strangely safe…as if Carlisle were truly my father and he were protecting me from further pain. "Everyone, we must discuss what this means. How we are to progress from here, and make no mistake…the Volturri are a very political body." He disengaged from me and began to pace in front of Emmett's large flat screen television. Each member of the family found a seat next to their mate. Emmett sat with Rosalie in his lap, Jasper with a bouncing Alice at his side. I was confused by her lack of speech so far…maybe she couldn't trust herself to speak, and her mind was like a mirror to everything that was being said around her…there was nothing for me to hear. It worried me. I stood in the space between the couch and the loveseat where Esme sat watching Carlisle and waiting for him to continue. We were all focused on his movements and I was just as attuned to his thoughts_. 'We will of course be forced to make concessions, but I will not allow them to take her from Edward. I will do anything to prevent that.'_

"We must come with our wits about us. This cannot just be fists and teeth. We are going to have to negotiate with them and come to an agreement that is amenable to both parties. We have already gone against their word once by their reckoning. They have exacted a judgment against us. We will be as criminals in their eyes and I'm not sure what I will be able to do…but we will all have to do our best to resolve this matter peacefully before resorting to anything more physical." I looked over at Emmett when I heard a dubious thought resounding from his mind.

'_Phht! I say we take them by surprise, and run them into the ground.' _I growled lightly against the intrusion into Carlisle's thoughts and words. Certainly he could understand how delicate this situation was.

"If they have turned her, Aro will see Bella as his daughter… " here Carlisle looked at me and I winced against the pain in my heart. _'I am sorry son, but we have to explore every avenue, and this is a viable outcome of the situation…the most viable.'_ I tried to fight against the rise of irrational anger at the thought of the ancient vampire taking what was mine. Bella's blood, her body, and her soul, they all belonged to me. How dare he take all that was precious to me and then challenge my claim? She was mine. She had pledged herself body and soul…her beautiful soul. I nearly crashed to the floor with the pain in my heart…her soul. If I were human I would be hyperventilating. Jasper was off the couch and holding my shoulders before anyone could blink. Esme let out a gasp of shock. No one could feel my spiraling feelings but Jasper, and he was throwing me a lifeline to sanity. I wasn't sure what the situation looked like, but the moment his hands grasped me I was filled with a calming rush of tranquility and I was thankful, but he shook me and looked fiercely into my eyes.

Jasper began to speak quietly despite his ferocious eyes, "Fix the things we can. Ignore the things we can't. Save your sorrow. Concentrate on now. We can't afford to be without you. We need your strength and your speed. I need to be able to count on your ferocity. You need to focus on having her now as she is, and not the grim reality of what happened to bring all of us to this point. We don't even know yet what she is…and I refuse to let you lock down when she needs you. Don't fail her Edward…" And he wandered into his thoughts for the last statement, probably unwilling to suffer the anger of our family. _'Not again.'_ My mind rang with the words. I nodded solemnly. Of course he was correct…Bella was counting on me. I could hear her panicked voice in my head and I let the sound strengthen my resolve.

Carlisle looked to me to see if we were ready to continue and Jasper sat next to Alice once again, who took his hand and gave him a beatific smile. "As I was about to say, Aro may not allow us access to her. He may be protective of her, or desire any ability she may prove to have. In this case we will probably have no choice but to take her by force. This may prove difficult if the Volturri are more than ten strong in the fortress. We will be defeated easily. Someone will have to go in and scout the situation. I suggest myself. Aro, Caius, and Marcus know me better than any of you. I may be able to garner more response and a more positive result in seeing Bella for myself."

"Father? I…"

'_No Edward. The Volturri have only ever seen you at a point at which you proved yourself emotionally weak to Bella's fate as a human. They will use your insecurities against you. They are political monsters. There is a chance that they will be ready for the eventuality of your presence and they may have already decided to destroy you. I won't allow that. I can't lose either one of you.' _Carlisle looked me in the eye and stopped in his thoughtful pacing, and everyone in the room looked between us knowing that he was speaking to only me._ 'You are my first son. You are precious to me because you made me realize that I was good for more than bringing death. I could prevent sickness in my own way as a doctor. I could make the sick healthy…but I could not create life. You are life. You truly are my son, life from death, and I cannot bear to live without your presence in the world.'_ His hand reached out for my cheek and brushed a hair behind my ear. It was a very human gesture and I imagined his hand filled with the warmth of what he was saying, the warmth that he could only convey with words, deeds, and thoughts, and for me it was more than enough. My father loved me dearly and was willing to stare death in the face to make me happy. It was a profound feeling.

Out loud he finished with something that made me smile at last. "Besides…think of your mother's nerves, I have to…they have been my constant companions for all of these years." Esme took Carlisle's hand and smiled.

"It's the couch for you tonight my love." She smiled in such a way that I wondered if she was being serious and I saw Carlisle drag his hand through his blonde hair in a slightly agitated fashion. I wasn't sure if they were bantering so lightly to calm us or if it was just their way of trying to return things to normal in the house, but it felt peaceful. Well…maybe peaceful was the wrong word. It felt right and normal.

"Back to the situation at hand then…We will need to come up with counter measures to every eventuality. I don't think it will be that easy to establish dominance, so we will at the very least have to maintain an air of servility. We also must know what is at our disposal as far as the pack is concerned. Sam may not view this as his fight anymore if Bella is a vampire. He may consider this an internal affair. Jacob will want to fight regardless of the situation I'm sure…especially if they have turned her, but it is possible that the rest of them will have to decide for themselves. There has been no murder on their lands if she is still alive in the broader sense of the word."

"Pardon the expression Carlisle, but I still think they still have a dog in this fight. The Volturri were on their lands after all. They won't want them to return, and if Sam believes that they could come back for any reason he won't hesitate to fight." Emmett gently stroked Rosalie's hair as he said this, but he looked like he was ready for murder. "I think they want to fight as much as we do, and they'll want to save Bella from the Volturri. I think she's just as much a part of their lives as she is a part of ours." I was hesitant to agree with him there…but I was forced to agree that he was right in a few respects.

Bella had been a part of their lives too. Maybe not in the sense that she was a part of the pack, but she had spent time with them, and then a memory that Jacob had brought up time and time again as I sat on the cliff side in silence came unbidden to my memory to challenge her status within the pack. Bella sat in the ring of Quilleute boys with Leah and Billy. All of them were ingesting large quantities of food as Billy told them their history, the story that was told to all of the young werewolves when they came of age to join the pack. I saw her beautiful pale skin reflect the firelight and I was lost in his memory for a second. Bella was as much a member of the pack as she was a member of our coven. Her Jacob loved her as fiercely as I did, no matter how that made me feel, and it made her one of them. What a strange situation this had become. A smile came to my lips as I remembered the nickname they had come up with for her that had been in their heads as we planned in the fields for the newborn armies. "Vampire girl." How fitting it was now was anyone's guess, but I was sure that it was a term of endearment as they used it still and it was never accompanied by disdain.

Jasper intruded on the debate taking place in the conversation and my thoughts."Either way, we should be on our way now. It will be time to meet with the pack in half an hour and I would like to be there before them. It establishes some authority in the situation and I think we're going to need the illusion of stability." Jasper rose from his seat and took center stage easily from Carlisle. Strategy was Jasper's forte, and he was very comfortable in the roll of the commanding officer. It was like watching him slip on a comfortable coat. Jasper could be insecure and tormented by his past, but he was still Jasper Whitlock, and the man he had been before becoming a vampire was confident and in control when it came to military strategy. "I don't want to tip our hand early either. I want to make sure we're all equal. If the wolves know anything that they haven't told us until now we need to know about it. We don't show them ours till they show us theirs."

"Kinky! I love it!" Alice jumped up toward Jasper and was on his shoulders before Esme could yell that they were in danger of knocking over her lamp, which is exactly what happened. "Oops…sorry Esme." Alice looked contrite, but I immediately looked into her eyes and she locked me out once more, away from her thoughts and out of her mind. I realized at last that she had been silent about her visions…not sharing even what she had 'seen' when she saw Bella was alive. What had she seen? Had she really just noticed Rosalie waiting for Emmett and listened in? She had not been waiting for us as she normally would have been.

"What are you hiding Alice?" It came out as a menacing growl. I hadn't expected myself to be so fierce and Jasper immediately growled back defensively.

She looked down at the floor at the broken pieces of the lamp and shook her head. "Jasper…please. He's right. I've been hiding something from all of you. I can't see anything of the Volturri. It's like they're the wolves…but worse than that…I keep seeing this strange vision. It's the only thing that I've even been able to see lately. It started slowly at first, just a glimpse here and there, nothing solid. That was about a week ago…but it didn't make sense and it wasn't really anything. It's become clearer and clearer as the week went on. Today…I finally saw it all while I was with Charlie. I see a large group of vampires coming this way. Not at all like what happened in June…I can't describe it."

"Alice?" Jasper looked up at her and literally dumped her onto the couch with a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Why didn't you say this before?"

"I couldn't trust myself. I don't know if what I'm seeing is real anymore. The Volturri are non-existent, the wolves are invisible, and my visions are sketchy at best when they are working. Maybe this is just a vision from far away…maybe it's not even pertaining to us. They don't look like the Volturri. I'm not sure who they are…or what is happening…" She didn't look him in the eye once when she was talking to him and one thought came to me as though she wanted me to hear it. '_Make him believe.'_

"Dear GOD woman!" Jasper began to stalk back and forth. "No…you're not completing your thoughts again. You're leaving something out! Damn it Alice, speak to me!" He put his hands on her face and she closed her eyes as a shield against his. "Alice please! Whatever it is couldn't make the situation any worse." He was pleading with her and when she opened her eyes she looked at me instead.

'_Oh, it's so much worse.'_ Alice looked back at Jasper with a look of contrition. "I couldn't be sure until this morning. It was always so unsure until today. I was at Charlie's and the holes just started filling in. There were so many…fifty or more it started off looking more like seventy or so…but it's a long trip, I guess they tired of each other's company. They are coming to Forks, and they all know your name Jasper. It's like they are concentrating on just you now…and I can't help but feel like I'm going crazy, because that's so ridiculous. Why would anyone come after you at all?" I didn't want to say it out loud…but my mind settled comfortably into the story of Jasper's past. Had the past come to haunt him now, now that we were unprepared and at our weakest? It seemed like a very unusual coincidence.

Esme looked to Carlisle, Carlisle to me. Emmett drew slow circles against Rosalie's skin and his mouth seemed to be curving up into a vicious smirk, one I knew meant he was looking forward to a fight. Rosalie on the other hand looked as close to fainting as I had ever seen a vampire become. All the while Jasper looked into Alice's face as he seemed to take in everything she was saying. "The southern tribes are coming here? For me?" He looked as confused as she did. "I don't understand that…It doesn't seem like something that they would do. I can honestly see them tearing into me if I was there just to keep me from building my own coven, especially with my reputation…but to leave their space undefended? To not have complete control over their lands…" His mind was working furiously with everything that he knew to be facts about the southern covens. "I can't believe you kept this from me Alice." She looked hesitant to respond to this last comment.

"We can't let them come here. The people…" It was Esme. She was concerned for our neighbors. If the southern clans truly were at our doorstep you would think they would have left a trail of murder in their wake, one that we could have seen coming. Carlisle, as if reading my mind, ran for his office. Two minutes later he came back, and it was not a comfort to see his face. "Carlisle please don't be silent…tell us."

He looked at his wife with pain in his eyes. "They are probably here already…"

"Jasper…" Alice looked at him now with pain in her eyes. "I didn't believe…and I only saw your name in their minds a few hours ago. Please leave here. Get out while you can and we can…"

"No. I'm not going to leave here." He smiled at his wife and for a second we all felt the whine of panic well up from Alice.

"JASPER NO!" She shook him and glared. "I won't lose you just when I got back Bella. It's not a trade. I don't have to pick between you. You are getting out of here, and we'll deal with whoever this is."

"You want to deal with a trained army of fifty vampires without me?" Jasper mussed Alice's hair like a small child and smiled at her. "I don't think so baby."

"Have you all lost your mind?" Rosalie. She had been so silent throughout our entire talk it was eerie. Now that she had something to say, it seemed like she would be throwing her temper around. "This isn't twenty poorly structured newborns. This if fifty southern trained newborns, who have been in God knows how many fights. Wars? Emmett wipe that stupid grin off of your face! This is dangerous GOD DAMN IT! Edward! Talk some sense into them!" The only problem was…that I had no idea what to say. I would fight for Jasper…God knows he had fought for me and my love. I didn't want to involve myself in a war right now because the chance that I wouldn't make it out alive to see Bella were greater than the last time, but I would regardless. It must have shown on my face.

"I just want things back to normal! Is that so hard to understand? I want to shop, and complain, and be beautiful! I want Alice to wander around seeing inconsequential crap that none of us need to know! I want Esme to mother me to death and Carlisle to talk about his stupid day at the stupid hospital and Jasper to study his ridiculous books!" Her words kept getting louder and louder. "I want Edward to play his annoying piano until dawn, and for Bella to trip down the stairs. I want us all to wander off to school where we are all bored out of our minds! I just want PEACE!" Rosalie was absolutely screeching with rage by the end of her tirade. Emmett was holding her arms to her sides and she was struggling against him. "I want peace…" She looked up at me as if I had the keys to winding back the clock.

"So take it." Emmett was speaking to her as he turned her in his arms. "Take it back Rosalie." It was very seldom that he called her directly by her full name. I could hear the thoughts around the room and I agreed that it felt like we were watching something that we normally wouldn't see; the side of the relationship between Emmett and Rosalie that was completely private. "I know that things have been hard lately, but Edward isn't to blame. Bella isn't to blame either. Or Jasper or Alice…No one can control who they love. It just happens. The moment I looked at you Rose I knew that I was staring into the eyes of heaven, and whether it leads me to hell or not I was completely game, and I still am. If you want things to go back to normal though, we're going to have to create something new…because things have changed sweetie. Things always change, but nothing is worth having if you aren't willing to fight for it…so take it back Rose. Come with me…and take it back." I had never seen him so dominant in their relationship. It was always Rosalie calling the shots, but now I could see Emmett as the clear masculine force in their coupling. Even when I was listening to the thoughts in the house I had never witnessed this, although I had always wondered if there was another dimension I was missing.

"We have to leave." Jasper was getting up and walking toward the door with Alice in tow. "Whatever the day may bring we have to move forward. Alice didn't see this coming…"

"I never see anything coming anymore…" Alice whispered with her face turned toward the floor. It was a good sign in my mind that Alice couldn't see this situation. It meant that the wolves would probably be with us, or that Alice was incapable of seeing anything...

"The pack needs to know what's going on, and I have the distinct feeling that they will be in on this fight whether they want to be or not." Jasper continued after allowing Alice her comment and I concurred. There was no way that fifty bloodthirsty monsters would be safe from the Quilleutes at this point. There were enough of them to make our numbers balance better. "If we can reach them before the situation blows up it will be easier to create a strategy. If it's as Alice says and they are just after me and they happen to take me out and they are going to give up afterwards just let it go. Don't fight for nothing…"

"Jasper." It was Carlisle. He was extremely agitated. "You are my son. I'm not going to let that happen."

"No offense meant sir…but you're my father…and I don't want you to lose your life in a hopeless battle. No matter what happens…keep Alice safe. I don't know what's wrong with her power, but if it affects her ability to fight, I couldn't stand to be without her." Here he looked in silence at the broken lamp on the ground and it finally dawned on me that Alice couldn't see herself breaking the lamp, she would have stopped herself. Had she really seen much of anything? Had this vision of Jasper taken over her mind and left her unable to function? Or worse yet, was her vision of Jasper the only one she could see. Had something stopped her visions? I felt like a horrible brother…wallowing in self pity and horror I had forgotten my family, and we may have to pay a horrible price for that ignorance.

Everyone began to file out of the house and we ran for the large open field. The wolves were pacing nervously, already there. All of them had come this time unlike the last time. It was a unified front. I wasn't sure at first, but in their minds I saw that what they intended was to show they all wanted to be there for Bella's sake. Would we have time to explain everything before the situation exploded before us? Carlisle walked forward to Sam Uley who was currently wearing his human form. They clasped hands and I was surprised with how comfortable they seemed with each other.

"My brothers…and sister…would like to extend our help. We will go with you to wherever it is that you are going to vanquish the demons that came to our shores and killed one of our own." The red brown wolf that walked toward me that I knew to be Jacob started to talk to me in his head, while pacing back and forth agitatedly.

"_Something isn't right. Something feels wrong about this." _He backtracked._ "I don't mean something feels wrong about helping you guys out. I mean there is something coming here. I can feel it. Sam keeps saying I'm just looking for a fight…and maybe he's right, but I can't get this feeling of dread out of my system."_ I'd never seen a wolf look more cagy outside of a zoo.

"Jacob is right." I looked at Sam and he stopped looking at my father and looked immediately at me. Jacob stood still for the first time since we'd arrived. "There is a large group of unknown vampires coming in from the south, and we don't know their intensions because Alice is incapable of seeing any of their movement, especially now that you are involved."

"When? Where?" The man looked at Jacob with undisguised confusion. At that moment a howl shattered the clearing from the woods. A small brown wolf came careening out of the forest and I heard his thoughts immediately as Sam Uley tore though clothes and shoes to become a large black wolf.

'_It's an army Sam! They are right behind me!'_

'_No…they are right behind me!'_

'_Coming from the east as well!'_

"We're surrounded on three sides." I looked at my family and the situation became horrifyingly bleak. We only had one avenue of escape. I felt like we should use it. If we weren't backed into a corner and could at least escape long enough to make up a game plan there was a small chance of survival. Moreover the wolves probably didn't know enough about the southern vampire covens to formulate a good strategy on their own. My mind was abuzz with the thoughts of the wolf tribe. They were chaotic. We had thus far created a semi-circle of our seven and the wolves were quickly adopting a circle around us. There were fifteen of them…and we would probably need every single one of them.

"FUCK! We're screwed!" Jasper swore and I turned toward the only solace we had. A woman crashed through the forest surrounded by at least twelve young vampires coming from the west.

What are the chances? Review if you get the chance. Oh, by the way I ganked off Jane Austin a bit with Carlisle's comment that Esme's nerves are his "constant companions". It is said about Elizabeth's mother by her father in 'Pride and Prejudice'. I just thought of Esme at that moment…not sure why.


	9. Images from Afar

Escaping Sol

Images from Afar

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

The actual nuts and bolts of the plot-ness from Bella's side of the story, and starting to take a step in the right direction toward some action. I loveded me some action: )

But first, as in all things, I'm sure Alice would agree, we have to go shopping. Oh the horrors of meeting Heidi.

I don't own Twilight or any of its sequels…and I'm only tenuously holding on to the concepts of it for my own use…which is by the way shiny and profit free!

Last but certainly not least, thank you for being patient. I was very hopeful about getting this chapter out last Friday, but I had forgotten my kids had their pumpkin festival at school, so that took precedence, obviously. Now my grandfather has gone into the hospital…and they have spoken with my mother about putting him into hospice. I am now in the midst of the emotional roller coaster that is deciding how to explain death to my kids…which scares the hell out of me.

BPOV

We got back to the city of Volterra and although the scent of blood around me was incredibly delectable I could make the decision to not tear after it, which was a vast improvement over the overwhelming scent in the forest. This was not a usual state of mind for a newborn vampire. Edward had explained to me without all the extremely gory details, the all consuming hunger, and that it could not be controlled. I had Aro to thank for my current state of being; I was at the top of my class figuratively speaking as far as the potential to control my thirst. The desire for blood was already returning, even after such a short time. I could feel it at the back of my throat and tugging at my consciousness, because I could now identify the exact physical and mental signal of the hunger, but I was not so famished as to be in danger of attacking anyone in the city, at least I hoped not. I didn't have to be a monster in the classical sense of the word…as long I fed eventually and I had Edward's voice in my head telling me to be good.

I wondered distantly if Edward were with me, would I still hear him in my head? Hearing voices like that would suggest that I had gone kind of insane right? Right now it was saving me from moral destruction. The other aspect, mental breakdown, was something that I would deal with once I was home, and now that I had spoken to Edward directly there was no reason for me to believe that I wouldn't get home. He and I would be together again…unless the splintered faction of the Volturri killed them before our flight arrived. I shuddered at the thought that I had spoken with my love and there was still the chance that we could be forever separated. In that case I would be alone for an eternity, and that was a very long time to be alone. I silently hoped that one day I would gain the control of my other family members and that we could be together. Nothing would make me happier and I prayed that this would be my future…but I wonder if God listens to the prayers of vampires.

My thoughts drifted to a memory of myself in the back of a car with black tinted widows. I remembered sleeping on Alice's shoulder in Carlisle's BMW so long ago and I felt a deep feeling of respect well up in my unbeating heart for the sister who had gone against her nature to cuddle me against my human fear. Certainly kindness like that couldn't be ignored by God? My memory also contained poor Jasper who had been locked in the car with me for so long…probably feeling the way I had in the forest. He probably thought I was so selfish, and I hope that he can forgive me now that I can understand what he's been through. I shuddered again with the memory of how strong the pull to kill had been in the woods as we wound our way back to the fortress in Volterra and the waiting garage. The faces of people around me seemed like a blur, and the cobblestones vibrated the frame of the motorcycle once again. Felix looked back at me as we turned into the garage and seemed to be rolling his eyes.

Heidi, the woman who I'd only briefly glimpsed the last time we were in Volterra was waiting for us just inside the large doors. She was tapping her foot expectantly and looking very annoyed. "Aro won't be pleased that you took her out on that ridiculous bike and tempted her Felix. I would steer clear of him for a while." She walked over past Felix and grasped my hands.

"Wonder how he figured it out…" Felix had turned off the bike and was still rolling forward as I jumped off the back, let go of Heidi's hands, and took off the helmet. He brought down the kickstand and let the bike rest slightly off to the side looking for all the world like a Greek Adonis as he pulled his head out of the helmet and then took mine from me.

"Whatever your motivations, and whatever mine might be, you put the girl in danger. She would still be subject to the rules of Volterra, and if she'd killed inside of our walls she'd be put to death. What would cause you to be that uncaring?" I looked at Felix with fear in my eyes and he just shrugged as if it didn't matter. Heidi caressed my hair and took my face into her hands. "Unlike Felix, I am a responsible parent, into the trunk with you Bella dear! Just in case you don't remember me, my name is Heidi." She took one of her perfectly manicured hands away from my cheek and was pointing to a luxury vehicle, a saab, and she had just remotely popped open the trunk. "Get in and I'll take you out shopping. You can't possibly fit in with all of us if you're walking around in that." The other hand came away from my face and was pointing to my rather oversized outfit as if it were an insult to Volterra and the woman herself.

"Wait, you're taking me shopping? Do vampires have the market cornered on making me fashion miserable? Can't I just wait on that? Aren't we planning to leave in the next couple of hours?" I looked at Heidi in a way that I hoped would show how unpleasant I felt the experience of shopping was. "Can't we just send out for some jeans and a tee-shirt and I can call it even?" One of her perfect eyebrows that sat over her color contact eyes slid up into her bangs. She probably had a few words for my idea of a jeans and tee-shirt ensemble. She was dressed in an alluring red wool skirt and a tight white button down shirt that was straining fashionably against her breasts, a ready pair of fashion forward sunglasses perched on her head, and a pair of Gucci pumps with a seemingly matching handbag. I didn't want even the illusion of a matching handbag. I only owned one purse. I wanted to keep it that way. If someone I loved, namely Alice, couldn't get me to turn shopping into a hobby, well, I wasn't about to start now.

"Bella dear, you simply can't leave the country in such unflattering outfit. Your coven…" Heidi began.

"Family…we're a family." I interjected before she could make further comments. I couldn't imagine the Cullens being called a coven. A coven was a grouping of monsters who hunted humans together in small groups of two and three. That was what they had told me when explaining the concepts of normal vampire life. What I had was a family, a support network with established roles each with dynamic personalities, and filled with compassion and love. I was pretty sure that covens were filled with the kind of back stabbing that would make girls in a high school proud. I had the mental picture flash through my mind of a girl with short blonde hair who was sliding something that looked like a pair of earrings into her pocket, unbeknownst to the clerk at the front of the store she was in, and felt a jolt of displeasure. Whoever she was…I was sure I didn't like her very much, but it still disturbed me greatly that my memories were slipping through the cracks in my mind.

I tried to make myself feel better by filling my mind instead with pictures of each of the people who made up my hopeful future life as if I were trying to prove to myself that I could still remember them. Carlisle smiled at me from his office as he covered a scrape I'd gotten with a band aid and we were both laughing at something. Carlisle with his calm demeanor and his empathy, he was our father. The image in my mind shifted to that of a sweet looking woman. Esme and her mother's instinct and love. She hugged Edward and told him to never scare her again, her tawny hair like a curtain around her face as she enveloped them both in her emotional warmth. A tall blond man leaned up against the banister away from the rest of us as I opened a present covered in pink wrapping paper. Jasper my brother with a thirst for understanding of the human condition, along with his mate Alice who was filled with life. The little woman skipped toward me and grabbed my hands as she hopped up and down and then spun away from me as if she were able to touch happiness and weave it between her fingers.

My sister Rosalie despite her striking beauty had more than looks to back up her fierce determination. In my mind she was sitting next to me in the moonlight her hair reflecting silver as she spoke with conviction about her past. I remembered bits and pieces of her story. She would have voted no for herself, and so she voted no for me when I had asked everyone if I could join their family. 'No' was no longer an option. Rosalie would be disappointed. The image changed once again and I remembered myself being caught up in strong arms and being swung around in the air like a rag doll, Rosalie's husband Emmett with his boyish joy and simple acceptance. Heidi interrupted my musings.

"Whatever kid, whatever you want to call it, family or coven. It makes no difference what you want to label it as…" Heidi had placed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose in the air away from me.

For some reason it made me angry, "It was more than that. Coven's are made for hunting and establishing dominance…no…a family is there for sharing joy and sorrow. They create strong bonds that don't have anything to do with power or mating." I closed my eyes and felt as though the world were falling away. Finally there was Edward, my minds reflection of him seemed to be the strongest. He was lying above me, his coppery hair in disarray from where my hands had slid through and created a messy perfection. The pale planes of his face smiling sweetly for me alone, and the lips that descended over and over again with impassioned kisses as his slender fingers traveled up and down tracing patterns on my exposed skin. We lay entwined together our naked bodies fitting together like missing pieces of a puzzle…" I opened my eyes again and shook my head free of the image. Edward who had lived alone for one hundred years only to fall in love with a human, me, whose blood called to him like none other on the planet. Edward, whose desire for my body and heart had outweighed his base desire for human blood. We had learned the term for his overpowering bloodlust here in Volterra and I remembered it, "la tua cantante" but somehow even though my blood had sung for him, Edward had not taken my life. We may have learned the word for why my blood made him so enraptured here in Volterra…but they probably had more to learn from Edward and their family than any one of them would admit.

"As if there were any bond that mattered more than mating?" Heidi suggestively wiggled her hips at Felix and he slapped her firmly on the backside. "You're a newborn so you're still clinging uselessly to human ideals, but if you give it a little time you'll start to see things more my way." Heidi gestured once again for the open trunk and grabbed my wrist.

"See you guys later! I'm going to get ready and pack for the journey ahead. Thanks for the fun Bella! I'll meet you in about an hour on the tarmac. I didn't mean anything by taking you out on the town Angel, really I didn't." Felix took my hand and brushed the top of my knuckles with his lips before pulling away again. Great…I had a nickname. "Heidi, I'm trusting you to take care of our little sister…" and here he made air quotes as if to mock our conversation. "She needs our constant supervision if she's going to stick to her wacky diet." Felix winked at me before disappearing through the door back into the fortress.

"That's cute Felix! Bella you've got the most adorable nickname! I promise not to corrupt your little Angel, Felix. I'm not the one taking people out on motorcycles." Here Heidi rolled her eyes and wrapped her hands around my shoulders. "Come on Angel get in the trunk so that we can go visit your family." She shoved me into the trunk and slammed shut the lid.

"My name is BELLA! Thanks so much Heidi!" I shouted through the shadows while I rearranged myself from the uncomfortable face first sprawl that I had landed in. I laid in the darkness and tried to collect myself. The trunk was reinforced steel. I could probably break through if I put some serious effort into it…but I wasn't THAT opposed to shopping. Besides, I understood that they were making the attempt to help me. I could afford to be affable, as long as I knew that I was going back to Forks and my family. The darkness and the lack of smells around me allowed for concentration, and I realized that the image I had had of Edward was not something from my experiences. Perhaps it was a dream that I had dredged from my subconscious. We were far too naked and free of Edward's boundaries for it to have been a memory. What about the blonde girl? Had that been a memory? I can't imagine myself playing lookout for a shoplifter, especially one that caused the reaction that I'd had when I'd remembered her. I loved Edward, so making up fantasies about him didn't strain the boundaries of logic. Shoplift-girl however I was at a loss to explain.

I was concentrating there in the dark, thinking about my family, and suddenly I saw them. They were sitting in front of a large television while Carlisle paced back and forth in an agitated manner. Edward stood between Esme and Alice and suddenly Jasper stood to address the room and as he finished speaking Alice jumped up and a lamp went crashing to the floor and then I was back in the darkness. Had I seen these things for myself? There was no way of knowing now that my memories were turning quickly into Swiss cheese. I didn't think Alice ever broke anything…she had her visions to stop her from such a fate. Alice…I thought about Alice again and a clear image came into my head. Her cropped hair was whipping in the wind as she ran through the forest and came to a stop in a large open field that I recognized as the countryside where they had fought the newborns.

The wolves were waiting there in the field and a tall darker skinned man and Carlisle were talking as Alice looked around her with a panicked expression on her face. Her frightened appearance reminded me of the time when she wasn't seeing her visions, but a lack of clear foresight shouldn't surprise her if she were with the wolves because she knew that she couldn't see the future of the wolf men. In my mind's eye she was not calm and I didn't remember her looking this panicky when we'd met the wolves before…and hadn't they been off in the trees when we'd met? I tried to access the moment in time in my head and I remembered huge wolf-like shapes in the darkness of the tree line. Maybe my memories were splintered, and I was seeing two or three memories together. How could I be certain about anything now that my thoughts were incomplete, and not to mention the fact that I was certain that they were slipping further and further through my fingers, on a whim I tried to come up with my eighth birthday…nada. I began to understand how Alice felt.

Suddenly the picture shifted and they were surrounded on three sides by very threatening looking vampires. Jasper grabbed Alice's hand and had quietly muttered the words, "We're fucked!" as if to tell only Alice and myself or maybe just himself and we happened to hear him, and then even louder he said "FUCK! We're screwed!" They were surrounded on every side now. I was terrified. This couldn't be anything like the newborn fight. They had been confident…flippant and Edward was there with them in this image…Edward had been with me. I just knew it. I remembered his fight with the red haired female that had ended with him tearing her head from her shoulders with his powerful teeth. The image in my head of that moment was still there and I clung to it despite its macabre nature. In fact…seeing my mate fighting for me so brutally was a little erotic. I wondered when I'd become so masochistic. I tried to remember the name of my best friend in elementary school…Gone. I felt helplessness welling up in my heart. I was a monster and I was losing my human memories one after another. If I didn't get back to my family soon, would I forget them as well? Would Renee or Charlie be gone next? What had Edward told me of his parents? Was he able to remember them or were his recollections the product of Carlisle's memories given to Edward?

I concentrated again on the information I had about the Cullen's fight in the field. No…Edward was definitely with me, they had fought without him, but he had fought. I was so confused. There was no way that this was real. Maybe this memory or vision I was having was a waking nightmare. I had heard about such things afflicting people, but did vampires get nightmares like that? Alice looked even more panicky as the family pulled even closer together, but why was she so afraid? Alice could see the future of everyone and everything but the horse sized wolves around her, and as long as her attackers weren't the wolves she would be safe. She wasn't fighting the wolves though, it seemed like the wolves were fighting with them angled out toward the vampires all around them. "Alice? Alice…it's okay honey. You're shaking like a leaf…" And she was. She was scared. I was horrified. The three sides that had broken through the forest initially began to fall in on them and they reached the wolves a full six seconds before they reached my family, because they couldn't stop them all. I felt an overwhelming feeling of dread.

I was ready to scream when the light streamed through the open trunk. Before I could stop myself, I indulged. Heidi was immediately holding me down and had a hand over my mouth to stifle the screams. "What? Do you have a problem with enclosed spaces or something? Stop with the screaming!" She took her hand off of my shoulder and slapped me across the face, the sound was like two stones colliding. "Stop!" I did, but I couldn't help the horrified empty whimper from escaping my mouth. I let her pull me out of the trunk and she closed the lid and led me to a small bench. We seemed to be on the outskirts of the city and I could see an open vineyard in front of me. The landscape was pretty breathtaking. It was too bad that I was so emotionally bankrupt and slowly losing my mind…because otherwise it would be a gorgeous place to visit.

"What am I becoming? I can't remember anything Heidi!" I put my head down into my lap and then looked frantically up at the woman in Gucci sunglasses. "I can't remember the name of the kid who used to hit on me in biology…or my great uncle's first name…or my pet fish! I think I had a fish once…I think I accidentally overfed it and killed it…" I heard the crazy rambling nature of my thoughts but I couldn't stop them.

"It's going to be okay. You lose your human memories when you become a vampire. I was sure you would already know that…or maybe you forgot." She laughed easily at her own joke. "It's kind of like a defense mechanism. You don't want the confusion of your last life to follow you into this one, it's too complex." She looked at me with pity and I buried my head back into my hands.

"But I keep seeing my family fighting with other vampires! I think I'm going mad Heidi! I might be going insane, and I think only Edward can fix me because I keep hearing his voice in my head. I see them fighting and Alice is afraid…she's never scared of anything!" I looked up at Heidi with unmasked terror on my face. "What if I lose them all while I'm out here in Italy shopping? You think I'll be able to live an eternity knowing that I wasn't there to help them?" I grabbed her shirt until it made a tiny ripping noise and Heidi looked at me with disdain.

"Bella, it's something you're just going to have to deal with. There is nothing I can do to get you there faster. We have to mobilize a lot of people to deal with this uprising…even twenty years ago it would have taken three times as long to get everyone back here and ready to fight, and nothing personal little Newborn Angel, but I'm not sure how much help you'll be in a fight. Now, with the force of the Volturri behind you, and thanks to cell phones and the concord…" She had peeled my gripping fingers free of her lapels and one of them proved to have been torn free from her shirt. "Consider yourself lucky that Marcus, Caius, and Aro have enough care for Carlisle and his family to go to these lengths. Usually we would consider taking them out when they returned. It would make more sense…we would already have the high ground and the element of surprise not to mention the home field advantage." I shook my head and asked the ultimate question.

"Why? Why do they care about what happens to the Cullen family? Couldn't they just do as you say? Wouldn't it be easier?" I struggled the words past my dry sobbing. What would motivate the most powerful vampires in the world to help my family?

"Sometimes Angel…" She held my head in her hands and smoothed my hair back. "Sometimes we have to make the decision to do something not because it is easy, but because it is right." She kissed me on the forehead and looked into my eyes her color contacts doing little to mask her true eyes from me. How is it that this monster who had no compunction for destroying human life could be so loving toward me?

"I'm sorry Heidi, I'm being ungrateful." I was. The strange vision of my family seemed ridiculous now that I was sitting…suddenly shimmering in the sun like some kind of glossy marble statue. I had obviously been hallucinating because of being in the trunk or something. Obviously the Volturri would know if something like what I had seen in my mind were going to come to pass. Heidi looked sparkly and exotic and after I had realized that I too was sitting out in public sparkling I looked at her in a panic. When I'd been out with Felix it had been overcast, but now that the sun was setting in Volterra the clouds had parted long enough to let the sinking blood red sun stream through, and I looked at my arm which seemed to sparkle and glow red.

"Don't worry little one. See the wall? This place is safe." She must have guessed what had set me off. On three sides the towering outer wall framed the space. Heidi smiled and said, "Welcome to my favorite designer's house." I looked around at all the trees and couldn't help but think that she was nuts. There was nothing here but a gravel road that went nowhere and a bunch of trees and a bench. She led me off of the bench and we walked past the car and then a stand of trees and saw the most amazing sight I had witnessed since my sparkling arm. A large structure was built into the wall. I remembered a place in the world called Petra…I couldn't remember the teacher who told me about it…but I could remember Petra. The structure was obviously old, but the newer windows and a very secure looking door sat in the front. "Louis! Louis! It's Heidi, darling!" She pulled me toward the door and a very foppish looking vampire that was taller than both Heidi and I with long black shiny hair in a shirt that was unbuttoned down to his navel strode out into the dimming light. He sparkled in what was left of the sun and I looked at his face. He looked like he was straining out a bit of a forced smile at Heidi. I got the impression that maybe the Volturri were stressful neighbors. Or maybe Heidi was stressful. His cheekbones were high, his face was thin, and he had a square chin and a pointed nose. He was very attractive, like most vampires, but I got the feeling that he was also very high maintenance.

"Heidi! Sweetie! Love the shirt! What are we saying here? Let me guess early eighties chic or newborn crazy?" He fingered the fabric and sighed. "This is what you get for shopping off the rack Heidi dear. Who's the fresh meat? Is she yours?" He pulled my arms out to the side and looked at me sideways. I pulled my arms free and wrapped them around myself nervously.

"No! Crazy head! I'm not making Newborns Louis! Be real!" She giggled and began to hop a bit with excitement. It was a little reminiscent of Alice…but she was so much taller and more womanly that it ended up being a bit strange looking. "Isn't she lovely though? I wouldn't mind to keep her, but she already has a sweetie back home in the States."

"Oh. On a vacation huh?" He eyed me up and down again in the oversized clothes. He didn't seem to think I should go anywhere in what I had on…I could see it in his expression…and looking down at myself I had to agree.

"We were sorority sisters back in college. As if it were any of your business, Louis I need you to outfit out Angel here…"

"Bella." I interrupted.

"Right…whatever. I need you to make Angel here look stunning for travel back home and I need something sporty and practical. No sweats! They were so last season and I can't imagine how everyone would stare." The two of them rolled their eyes in tandem as if they thought that sweats were always out. "Also…we need this in less than forty minutes, so it can't be ultra complicated."

"Angel huh? Okay sweetie follow me." His arms twirled in the direction of the building at the same time as he did and he was quickly swishing through the doors at a very high rate of speed. I stayed where I was as Heidi broke for the door and Louis' head popped from behind the large wooden portal. "Fashion waits for no man Bella dear! Chop! Chop!" I followed after Heidi and when I got in the room I noticed that every surface was covered in fabric and there were racks and racks of finished clothing. I secretly thought that everything looked beautiful…too expensive for me to ever own…and not at all my style. "Julian? Where did you go love?" He called out in a loud voice. He spun on his heel and looked at me. "Did you know that you look like a homeless person?"

"I really haven't got anything to wear." I felt embarrassed by my lack of fashion sense in front of this strange new vampire. "I tore my clothes to shreds…" I would probably be crying some frustrated tears at the thought of my khaki skirt being ripped apart if I could still do it…What right did he have to say I looked homeless? Except, I kind of was now that I thought about it, it wasn't like I could return to Charlie and pretend that nothing was different every time I thirsted for his blood and let the Edward in my head talk me down. After a while he might catch on that there was something wrong when I didn't eat food, and struggled daily not to kill him.

"OH! I didn't know you were that young! Oh, sweetie I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I'm not that insensitive. I mean…you're still dressed like a homeless person, but it's not your fault. I'm sure you're very stylish at home." He started rifling through bolts of fabric like they were a stack of paper. "Julian! Get your butt down here. The Volturri are calling!" A young man that couldn't have been much older than myself chronologically came flouncing down the stairs. He was simply gorgeous in every aspect, almost cherubic. His curly blond hair and skin so light it was like cream seemed to sparkle even in the false lights of the fluorescents over our heads. He was about the same height as me…but he was breathtakingly beautiful. I had met the male equivalent of Rosalie. "Finally you came!" Louis strode purposefully over to Julian and grabbed him by the shoulders. "I need you to take every inch of her measurements and after you're done give them over. We don't have very long…Angel here needs to fly in less that forty."

"Bella." I corrected again.

"Angel is much more dramatic." Julian said quietly as he started stripping off my clothes. I shrieked and threw my arms over my naked chest.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?" I shouted, and the words seemed to reverberate into the walls and amplify as they bounced cavernously.

"She's not haut couture savy?" Louis looked over at me. "I would have sworn with a body like that she wouldn't shop like you Heidi!"

"Thanks Louis…That was very unnecessary. I shop off the rack because I like to, not because I have to. I just love to hunt." Heidi smiled unabashed.

Speaking of hunting, I was feeling a little unrestrained. The venom had been pooling at the back of my throat for the last ten minutes…I needed to hunt again. "I have to be naked?"

"That's how it works sweetie…but I'll ask Heidi to leave if you feel uncomfortable." That made me quirk my eyebrow. "Oh! I get it…Julian come here a second would you?" The smaller "younger" vampire strode purposefully to the man and Louis leaned over and kissed him very passionately. Honestly with how tall he was it was like watching him fold into the other man. Their hands weren't still over each other's bodies, and I felt like the ultimate voyeur and felt what seemed to be a heat growing in my chest like I could feel their feelings…or was it that I could feel the way their feelings impacted the world. A light glow was surrounding them and I shook my head and realized that one of them had a power and I was doing it again. I concentrated on containing myself and the heat went away. They were still kissing each other, Julian with a fervor that suggested more was to come, when I refocused on them. It was kind of like a train wreck…I couldn't look away. Heidi whistled and I would probably have burst into flames if I could still blush. It was turning into quite the show when suddenly Julian pulled away from Louis shaking his head like he'd come back to himself and put his hand onto his, now obviously, lover's chest looking a bit troubled.

"Not with the girls watching Louis'. I'm sure you've made your point love. Besides, something strange…" He was looking up at the taller man with unquestionable passion and I felt like I was intruding on something personal and then he looked at me with questioning eyes. He was so quiet and soft that I compared Julian a bit to Carlisle in my mind. Of course the obvious British lilt to his words could have done that job equally well. Opposites certainly did attract.

"You're such an old man! The girls like to watch nowadays!" Louis pouted to Julian. I was confused now. It had seemed like Louis was in charge when we'd walked in…but now it was obvious that Julian was the decision maker.

"We sure do!" Heidi clapped her hands together. "Don't stop on our account. I'm sure we could find something to occupy ourselves with." She smiled at me and I covered my chest up as best as I could.

"I'm a little old fashioned I'll admit, but as I said, you made your point and we have work to do." Julian was at my side again as Loius began to pull and stack up whole bolts of fabric and I just threw up my hands and let him take off the rest of my clothes…when in Rome and all that, and I was pretty close to Rome. Besides, they were right. Time was ticking away and Edward was waiting. "As I said before…Angel is dramatic. Besides, you look a bit like an Angel." I would have blushed at the compliment had I the capacity. "Sorry about what just happened. Louis is a designer. When it comes to this aspect I let him wear the hat, but he's a bit over the top don't you think?" He winked at me conspiratorially, but he smiled over at his lover and I could see their contentment. "I've been alive for almost five hundred years, but I never lived until I found him one hundred years ago. You're the same right? You have someone that you're living for. I can tell. It's my gift. I feel and see romantic love, but you know that don't you?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm still new to this whole thing. I didn't mean to take it from you. I gave it back as soon as I realized I did it." I felt like I was apologizing for my wayward abilities a lot lately.

"It's okay…but for a second I couldn't feel him. It scared me. I wouldn't have let it go on like that with other people watching, but feeling him disappear like that in my arms…" He shuddered. The tape had been wrapped around my neck, my breasts, my waist, my hips, my thighs, head to toe, and the length of my arms. It was all done so quickly and his clip board with the measurements went sailing to Louis who snatched it out of thin air. Suddenly he was drawing and cutting in a flurry of motion that I was pleasantly surprised to find was easy for me to follow now.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." I was handed a robe by Julian. Heidi lounged in the chez by the door and winked at me as I put it on. I wasn't sure, but I thought she might be flirting with me too…what was with these vampires in Volterra?

"I can tell. You seem so scared, I'm sure that's not making anything easier…but the love is so much deeper than your fear. It's nice to see such a profound feeling, it's like your lover is there standing with you. I can see him wrapped around you. The warmth of it is almost human." I closed my eyes at the pain I suddenly felt. Almost human. Just like everyone in the room. What if he couldn't love me anymore? What if Edward didn't love Bella the monster, the creature that Felix had dubbed Angel? He hadn't wanted me to be like this…what if that was why? "Don't do that Bella. If you let your love go you'll be empty and you can't be an Angel if you're empty." I looked up at him and I was a little afraid that I had hurt that bond he'd seen. He took my hand and sat me down on a pouf in the middle of the chaos and settled down next to me.

"Love doesn't diminish over space and distance. It's like a vision of who we're actually supposed to be. That's what I see." Julian continued, and a realization crashed into me in that moment. The things I had seen earlier in the trunk. Alice's visions didn't diminish over space or distance, and she could see us best. She should have been able to see me no matter what had happened. I was the reason she hadn't seen anything. The lamp crashing to the floor, it was real!

"ALICE!" I screeched and jumped to my feet. Heidi was so surprised at my very sudden movement that she fell off the chez. No wonder Alice had been so scared! I had stolen her visions from her. "OH MY GOD!" I closed my eyes and focused on Alice and this time it was clear. The crashing of the lamp as it hit the floor was deafening in my ear. I saw each member of my family as if they were within reach. I had to give it back to her. I had to give Alice back her power before its loss killed her. I reached inside of myself and blocked out the world and tried again to see Alice break the lamp. I remembered what it was like but I wasn't "right there" as it happened. I felt a tug of relief. I tried to see the open field full of bloodthirsty monsters and it came back. "I can't stop it! I can't give it back. What's wrong with me? Oh, Alice I'm so sorry!"

"What's all that racket?" It was Louis mumbling through pins in his mouth. I felt a bit of pride that I'd understood him.

"Angel is stealing powers from people." Julian pulled me back down onto the pouf.

"What are you seeing Bella?" Heidi ran over with a wicked smile on her face. "You know that will be invaluable to us…We can see what's going to happen before it occurs. We can shape the situation, how fortuitous!"

"No!" I shook my head. "No I have to give it back!"

"Someone hand me that jar of buttons! If you have time to talk crazy you have time to contribute something to the artistic process. Jules get started on finding her something in the realm of footwear. I'm thinking ankle boots love." Louis squinched his eyes as if imagining me in the outfit he was currently sewing and ankle boots.

"This is a little more important than ankle boots!" I looked at Louis with surprise. "My family may be dying!"

"Why? Did you see that?" Julian looked at me inquisitively.

"NO! But they were surrounded…." I was feeling the slow whine of panic building again.

"Oh!" Heidi gasped. "I get it! If she didn't see them getting hurt, then they didn't get hurt. I'm with ya'. Now tell me Bella…what do they look like? Are they the prodigal sons and daughters?"

"No…they weren't the volturri…at least I don't think so. They didn't look like you guys usually do." I focused on the impending battle and I saw the three sides fall forward and it cut off again. I realized that this is what Alice was talking about when she said something wasn't decided yet. "Someone has yet to decide what they are doing and it's stopping the vision. I have to give it back, or Alice could be hurt."

"I'm going over to Raul's to pick you up some frilly unmentionables. Don't go anywhere till I get back. What size is she Louis?"

"30C and she's a size 2 overall. The cut of the pant insists on a thong and Heidi…be a dear and make sure that you buy them in a nice deep blue…That will look lovely against her skin. Don't you think?" Heidi seemed to scrutinize the thought before agreeing and running out the door. The car was driving away in seconds, and definitely before I could protest against the concept of wearing a thong.

"Maybe you just need to try to stay calm. Maybe the secret to keeping the power off is serenity?" Julian seemed earnest to help. He seemed like a nice enough individual. I somehow couldn't line up my mind with his personality and the suffering that was hunting humans. I looked into his gold eyes and gasped.

"You're an animal drinker?" I was surprised by the revelation.

"I found out a long time ago that I couldn't live with myself if I drank from people. They have the strongest bonds of love. Louis doesn't abstain…but I just can't bring myself to end the bonds I feel and see all around me. I guess that makes me very unusual." He smiled at me with a look that almost looked like embarrassment.

"My whole family at home is like that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…It's just I'm so very thirsty." I was. It was overwhelming. The venom was back with such a vengeance that the hunger was almost painful. "I wonder if you couldn't take me to where you go to hunt?

"I wouldn't mind. Louis?" The clothing designer made a dismissing motion at Julian as he worked. It was almost funny watching him sew faster than a machine. "You probably can't concentrate hard enough on this "Alice's" power when you are so hungry."

"Why am I so thirsty all the time? It's like it's so bottomless." I was frustrated with the feeling of enslavement.

"It will be that way for a while. Don't worry, that constant hunger will pass. It gets easier as time goes on. You have more restraint than most vampires your age." Julian patted my hand consolingly.

"Aro says it's because he made me." I looked away. I was not comfortable with my strange new parentage. Charlie was my father…and I might not be able to remember his face very well…but I was his daughter. Aro was not my dad.

"I see. You're one of Aro's children? I'm kind of honored that they would bring you here. I hope Lord Aro is pleased with my work." Louis bowed over to me and sewed even faster. Five pants and ten separate shirts were laid out already and it looked as if he wasn't done sewing yet.

"Please don't say things like that. I don't really have any kind of power, and I don't want to have any. I'm not here in Volterra to become a stooge or a guard in some vampire museum or to take over the Volturri or anything like that. I just want to go home to Forks and get married, at this point a civil service would do. I don't think Alice would begrudge me Vegas." Louis threw up his hands as if to ward off my bad mood.

"Sweetie you go do whatever it is that you need to do. I just need to know who's signing the checks." I paused and looked at him. I didn't know who was paying the bills. I assumed that it was the Volturri, but I didn't know for sure. "Oh my GOD! You're getting married? Can I do the dress?"

"Um, thank you, but I already have one…" That by all accounts wouldn't fit me anymore. Maybe I should just say yes and have him let the Volturri pay for that as well.

"Couture doesn't come cheep, and neither do I. You NEED this dress. It's you!" He immediately disappeared into the racks and came back with a very long garment bag. He stalked toward me while unzipping the bag and threw it over my head before I could argue. It was definitely a more modern look. The dress had two cuts up the sides that showed off generous amounts of leg and a long train in the back with a gorgeous red brocade patterned fabric that followed the seam of the dress from the back of the train and up to the seam on the back where it curled around the side of the dress and up to the front, where it disappeared under the silky white fabric and reappeared again at the front between the valley of my breasts. I felt Louis threading a ribbon through grommets behind my back, and then he was tying them at the bottom of my spine. Fitted and boned…It was gorgeous and fit like it were made for me.

"It's incredible Louis…but I couldn't possibly. This has to be worth more than all the money I've ever made." There was in fact a small paper tag on the dress that said

_For Vera, _

_Inspiration for the future. _

_Kiss. Kiss. _

_Louis._

I blinked a few times. Alice Cullen eat your heart out. I was staring at the inspiration for a Vera Wang wedding gown. "Do you really know Vera Wang?"

"Honey, please. I work for every stable in Milan. There isn't a fashionista out there that I can't take credit for." He rolled his eyes. "You don't really believe that those fashion houses churn out designs with only one person involved. Now get out of my dress and hop into some jeans, you are in serious need of some liquid refreshment. Here!" He threw a pair of low cut jeans and a tee-shirt at me and I smiled hugely. "Sorry, I don't keep girly undies…you're going commando Angel."

I didn't care about being without underwear at this point. I was out of Gianna's leather pants, and the bathrobe, and back in a pair of comfortable jeans and a tee-shirt. I jumped onto the pouf and bounced happily. Julian took one look at me and started to laugh. "I see where your heart lies…We have an all American jeans and tee shirt kind of girl Louis. Look how happy she is!" It was probably evident at this point that I was extremely thirsty. I could imagine the black pools that my eyes had probably turned into. Louis had.

"Get out before you try to drink the fur!" He pushed Julian and I out the door and the smaller man took off immediately, I had to run quickly after him if I wanted to keep him in sight. We ran into the clearing just as Heidi pulled up in the Saab. We rocketed past the bench and into the rows upon rows of grapes. The arbors were taller than both he and I and we disappeared into them easily. No one would see us here…but what could we hunt here? Immediately Julian walked toward me with a small furry creature in his hand.

"Moles! Taste like chicken." He smiled at me and I took it from his grasp. The critter squirmed violently and tried valiantly to bite me. I held it's head and tore through its epidural layers to the blood beneath. It didn't taste like chicken honestly…but I was a vampire. Blood was blood. "We only have about five minutes to do this Bella…I'm going to flush them out and you eat as many as you can. We're going to keep what we catch and use the fur." The whole concept of eating moles in a grape arbor was kind of beneficial, and I liked that the creature's lives weren't exactly going to waste. I tore back and forth behind Julian as he brought out scores of the little vermin. He would hiss into the holes and the creatures would scamper. All I had to do was catch them. It started as an exercise in hunting and it slowly spiraled into nonsensical fun. We chased them down the rows hissing at the moles and each other in turn. I stalked the creatures, but I ended up having to stalk Julian as well, because he started hiding and jumping out at me in intervals.

I had been leaving a neat body pile behind me and as I ate the last mole I had successfully hissed out of its hole and looked up at Julian with a smile. I felt sated from the thirst again and I had helped to rid a winery of their little rodent problem and last but certainly not least I had learned to properly hunt from an expert. Julian held out a sack and grinned back. "Clean up after dinner and don't leave any behind. I don't want the people who own this property to think they have wolves." I nodded and bagged up the creatures. Despite all of the bodies the sack wasn't heavy. I knew that I would be straining under the weight if I had been human. Of course I wouldn't have been hunting moles if I were human so the thought was kind of circular.

"Wait…Julian!" He turned back and looked at me. "Where did you learn all this?"

"Another great Brit like myself, I learned all about this life from another vampire who lives like me. His name was Carlisle." I smiled even wider. My family was taking care of me even now, even when it was unintentional. "Do you know him?"

"Carlisle Cullen?" Julian nodded yes as his eyes grew wide in recognition of the name I'd just given him. "I'm engaged to his son." I said quietly.

"That makes sense somehow. I can picture an Angel in Carlisle's family." He walked back with me and we sped up to get back into the house.

"Back already? Good Bella! I was going to suggest we take you hunting. I'm glad to see that you and Julian have enough in common that he could help you with that. I wasn't really sure if we should stop by a pet store or what…" I shivered at the same time as Julian.

"No more house pets!" I held out the sack and Julian threw it in a refrigerator.

"Poor thing…Did they make you eat fluffy?" Louis giggled and my eyes must have said it all because he began to laugh. "Oh! I don't know if I should leave you alone with fuppers then!" A little toy dog yipped at my feet and let out a pitiable growl and I growled back at it. Louis picked up the miniature dog and growled back at me. "Fuppers! We don't growl at the vampires sweetie it agitates them. I'm going to get you to the kennel now because daddy is going on a trip yes he is, yes he is!" The little mammal licked his cheek and lips and everyone in the room made a disgusted face. "What! We can't choose who we love!" Julian rolled his eyes.

"Are the bags packed Louis?" Julian held out a Prada traveling case to me and I accepted what should have been a heavy bag with no effort. It was going to be a long time before I got used to that…unless I forgot everything that is.

"Yes, and Heidi put them in the Saab already. We are five minutes ahead of schedule, that never happens!" Fuppers was in the crate and we all left the building at the same time.

"Are you going on a vacation?" I looked at the two of them and they both started to laugh as Heidi loaded the dog in the back seat with the luggage.

"You're joking right? Oh no sweetness and light we are going with Miss Angel, there isn't a vampire in this city that doesn't live and work for Masters Aro, Caius, and Marcus." I looked at the two of them and tried to imagine either one enforcing the laws of Volterra. Even when the cloaks came out over their arms I was skeptical, then I remembered the motorcycle ride and all of the vampires I had seen. I remembered Alice saying "they're everywhere" and I gulped. Certainly I had underestimated their numbers…but by how far?

"Shotgun!" Julian ran for the front seat and was buckled in before I could laugh.

"TRUNK!" Louis started to run for the back of the Saab, but Heidi cut him off.

"NO! Trunks are for children. Big boys have to ride in the vehicle." She pointed to the back seat and Louis pouted.

"Fine…I wanted to sit with Mr. Fuppers Gandalf the Third anyway!" That comment was by far and away the strangest thing I'd ever seen or heard.

"Bella. Trunk. We have a very long trip ahead of us." Heidi popped the reinforced trunk once more and pointed. I would spend the time in the dark trying to make sure that I wasn't channeling Alice's power.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about something…how am I going to avoid the thirst for that long?" It was something that was going to come up eventually.

"Don't worry. I made a withdrawal at the bank. Look!" She pointed into the open trunk and I fell back and away from the back of the car in horror. Bags that I knew to be from a hospital were filled with red liquid. There was no way…

Edward growled his disapproval in my head. _'Disgusting!' _I couldn't help but agree. It was certainly a horrifying prospect. It was human blood no matter how you stacked it…and on top of that it was all frozen. I wasn't sure, but I thought cold blood would be ghastly.

"I'm not eating that." I said solemnly.

"Oh, don't worry. The chef will bring it up to a balmy 98.6 and you'll never notice the difference." She tried to shove me in the trunk and Edward hissed in my mind.

"No! I don't want to eat the blood of human beings." I said it quietly but Heidi started to laugh.

"Oh, poor maligned Angel. I didn't get it at a human bank…that was done earlier for the others…I went to a meat packing place…This is all nasty sheep blood." She waved over it like it smelled badly. I looked into the trunk closely and surely enough each bag was labeled as the blood of sheep and lambs.

"That's still incredibly foul!" I jumped into the blood filled trunk and tried to slide as far away from the frozen blood as possible putting the traveling case between it and I as Heidi closed the lid. Fortunately it didn't smell all that great coming from the frozen packs or I would probably be found like the two year old kid who found the chocolate sauce. I felt the car began to move and I wondered if I would be able to hold off Alice's visions as I closed my eyes and tried very hard to shut out Alice completely. I tried to purge everything in my mind about her and I began to panic. What if I forgot Alice? What if, in the event of me getting rid of her power I would have to purge her completely from me? I looked at Edward's ring and prayed I would be home soon. I was tired of forgetting myself. I was tired of riding in steel reinforced trunks and being naked in front of strangers. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to be with Edward and not worry about anything. I hoped that the vision I had had earlier was true…because if it was that meant that Edward and I would get the chance to be together in the flesh. His hands on my skin like I had hoped for when I was still alive, I may have died a virgin, but I had every intention of making up for it in my eternity damned to walk the earth as long as I could be with Edward.

That thought had only just gone through my head when the car stopped. Its engine turned off and the trunk was opened. "Time to head for the Ball, Cinderbella! Let's get you home to your man." Louis held out his hand and helped me out. "Well, I'll see you around dear I need to fall in with the rest of the good little soldiers, and if anybody asks about the dog it's on a don't ask don't tell basis." I laughed and got my new suitcase out of the trunk. I shuddered to think about what lay ahead and the strange vision I'd had. If what they had brought up to me was true then it was possible that my family was going to be attacked by a third party before any of this commenced. I thought about the other side and my family left at home. I had to call them again. I had to warn them about what was ahead. I turned away from the vehicle and I gasped in horror as I was met with hundreds of figures in black cloaks.

As always…feel free to review.


	10. War and a Texas Rose

Escaping Sol

War and a Texas Rose

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

This is going to have to be the most action that I've ever written into a fic…ever. That's saying something considering that I'm a Kenshin fanfiction writer. If you catch anything that seems wrong or slow…review and let me know!

This was a LOOOOOONG chapter. I've had to kick a houseguest out because my rental property found out that I was harboring a guest for over 15 days…WTFE! My grandfather is coming in and out of the hospital and Turkey Day and the preparation thereof kept me from posting because Eric and I couldn't get the opportunity to sit down and touch base for more than fifteen minutes. Sad but true when you can't even see your husband for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I'm going to try to keep up and I've already started Bella's chapter. I hope to have it out in less time than it took for this one to post. Please excuse my tardiness and enjoy the most violent chapter to date.

There will be violence and one graphic depiction of sex in this chapter. My story is rated M for mature. There will be more graphic depictions of sex on the horizon…I hope you don't think it detracts from the action. I think it fell in nicely.

Just for SylviX I went ahead and opened a deviantart account under the name Ranma151773012 and put up drawings of how Bella's dress looks. It's my first real attempts at drawing with a light pen (which my friend, and usual beta, gave me because she's oh so wonderful!) so please excuse the lack of shading…and well…you know. It's like my own version of cave paintings. However the dress is designed how I pictured it and Bella's doing a great job of vamping it up.

As always I don't own Twilight. I'm just going to play with the characters a little and give them back.

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EPOV

"Fuck! We're screwed!" I couldn't help but agree with Jasper's observation, no matter how crass the words were. This would probably not end well. We were surprised, disorganized, and otherwise unprepared for such an onslaught. At the same time as Jasper's vocalization I heard Sam Uley curse in my head as I heard him rattle off a warning to the pack. _'Collin, Mark, and Ellie…I need you to stay close to someone at all times. You aren't ready to fight yet. You don't know enough, and you could get killed.'_ The four separate groups of vampires stood at the points around us and seemed happy to simply taunt us for a few seconds. Almost twenty strong on each side…we were definitely outnumbered. I could now hear a torrent of thoughts that I assumed would be wholly triumphant from the clusters of undead men and women in front of us, but I realized only too soon that my assumption was wrong. There was a babble of confusion and morbid curiosity that was an undercurrent to the thoughts of the opposition.

Most of the newborns were chomping at the bit to fight the werewolves now that they were offered on the playing field. The large dogs were distracting them from their original targets, which I quickly discerned was us, and the leaders of each group kept trying to catch their attention and redirect their energy. Even the youngest of us knew that the wolves were an anathema to us. There were so many of them that I wondered if I could gamble on a victory. Alice had been correct in her first assumption: seventy strong, and ready to fight. My sister's one certain remaining vision had come to fruition, but far too late for anyone to actually do anything about it. We would have to fight them as we were and hope for the best.

I watched my family intently as I listened to the opposition. Carlisle crossed himself and said a small prayer for ourselves and the wolves. I could just barely make out the Latin of the Lord's Prayer. My adoptive father was an amazing man. He was capable of so much compassion. To show such concern for creatures that were supposed to be our natural enemies was exceptional. From the nervous tenor of his voice I could tell that he seemed to think we would not come out of this unscathed. Esme squeezed Emmett's hand and looked over her shoulder at all of us, as if to memorize every second of this moment before things went to hell. It was possible that one of us wasn't going to come out of this, one of us could die. I would save my mother from further pain. She was the heart and soul of our family. _'I love you Edward. I know you're listening. Can you watch over Alice for me? She looks unusually unsettled right now.'_

I moved on in the circle to Rosalie's energetic other half. As usual the clear shallow pool of my large brother's mind was simplistic. Emmett was fairly buzzing with anticipation_. 'Look at them all. I'm going to rough all of them up and send them packing for good.'_ He looked at me with a glorious smile on his face. The idea that this was fun for anyone was a little disturbing, but if it helped him to fight I would not take away his confidence. Rosalie was repeating Jasper's lesson about killing newborn vampires over and over in her head. She was such a perfectionist, beautiful and extremely deadly, but I had to wonder if that would make a difference if she were to get separated from us and she were overwhelmed. What if something happened to my first sister? The very idea of losing Rosalie was abhorrent to me. I may not have been able to be her lover as my father had hoped in the beginning, and we didn't always agree about how we lived our lives, but that was what made me her brother in every way that mattered. We competed in everything. There was no A to garner here though, no competition to win. Getting out alive was the indicator of a job well done. _'Don't worry Edward. I can take care of myself thank you very much.' _She favored me with a small smile before going back to her mental refresher course.

Jasper was trying his very best to calculate the odds. I saw strategy after strategy go through his head, most of which were immediately thrown out for one reason or another. _'Edward, I need an update on our opposition.'_

"Alice was right about their numbers. They stand at about seventy, give or take a few. Most of them are newborns. Each group has a central leader. The universal take on the wolves seems to be surprise…they were only expecting us for some reason. That in itself is strange. When the Volturri kidnapped Bella they must have at the very least learned of the Quileute wolves. One of them beat the holy hell out of Jacob Black and he'd been a wolf when he fought Jane if his thoughts were correct. Maybe they were hedging their bets about whether or not the others would come if things were more equal, not that I'm saying this is very equal terms. How would they even know where we lived if not for the interference of someone else? The Volturri have been mentioned in their thoughts. These vampires are nothing but a diversion that is hoping for victory. I'm afraid of what that might portend." I whispered very quickly and silently to Jasper.

Jasper threw me a quick glance before continuing his calculations. _'I agree, but at this point we need to focus on the here and now. I want to make sure we have the balance necessary to win.'_ He looked over his shoulder at me very quickly and I nodded my head. _'Give me something to work with. What do you think about our position?'_

"As long as we don't deviate too much from our goal of taking them out fast and keeping the fact that they're newborns in the forefront of our heads, I don't foresee too much of a problem. Of course we're suffering from a lack of numbers, but I think we can make up the difference in experience and accuracy." I spoke quickly again. I could tell from the way the other side was starting to excite that we had little time left to talk.

'_I agree. The leaders will be so busy trying to keep the newborns on track that we'll have time to exploit their many weaknesses.'_ He shook his head. _'I wish everyone could hear me in their head like you though. It might make planning this easier.'_

"What would it really help? Our family is capable of taking care of itself Jasper. The wolves, for as much as I hate to say it, are their own problem. We can't communicate the same way they do, so getting your point across would be extremely hard. Besides, I think Sam can handle his people." I said this with as much confidence as I could muster. The young man did have a very firm grasp on his pack, but I had heard his speech to the young wolves that were trapped with us and I hoped for the best for them…they were just children after all.

'_I agree with you to a point. These boys are green fighters though. In some ways they're as unpracticed as the newborns. They may have an innate sense for fighting our kind, but I would hate to lose men to the liability of their youth. You wouldn't believe how often that happened back in the war.'_ Jasper was once again reminding me of his past as the consummate soldier.

"We'll have to deal with that when and if the situation does arise. I'm sorry I can't give you more Jasper, but at this point I think we're going to just have to wing it and stick to the previous plans." He shook his head in agreement, but I could see his inner turmoil. He was stressing over his younger more inexperienced "troops" and wishing for more time to prepare them for battle.

Next to me, Alice was trembling. She looked over at me and I could see a kind of terror welling up in the depths of her eyes. _'Edward! I can't see anything in the future. It's like I've gone completely blind. Don't tell Jasper…but I've never fought without my ability. I don't know if I can do it!'_ Her small shoulders were shuddering and if she could have cried frustrated tears they would have been streaming down her face. I looked at Alice with a concerned expression and I looked slowly from left to right. _'I know it's not helping, but what can I do? If I tell him straight out that I'm scared of this Jasper will split his concentration. Will you watch out for me?'_ It seemed like an eternity ago that Alice and I had communicated in a conversation a lot like this one. It had been the day Bella arrived at the school and Jasper had been feeling weak against the bloodlust again, I hoped that we would find that peace soon and with Bella there to join us. I looked up at the sky and down at the grass to let her know. Yes…I would watch out for her.

I listened intently to the attackers again for a clue as to my bride's location. Perhaps they had seen her…maybe they knew where she was. The thoughts were jumbled from the newborns and I tried desperately to focus on the vampires that I thought looked like leaders, _'The Volturri must have tricked us, maybe they were plotting to bring us away from home to make it easier to take over the South and get rid of us.' _

Thought another, _'These vampires have a small army of werewolves?' _

The Female standing directly ahead of me was thinking something more complex, _'How can they stand to go against their nature? This must be the power the Volturri fears so deeply, it's just as I thought! Wonder what would draw natural enemies so close together? This is truly intriguing! I'm glad to be here now.' _

Next I heard a more panicked thought, _'I thought this was supposed to be easy!'_

Hearing their thoughts definitely gave me an edge. They had been swayed to come here by the Volturri…but under what pretense? If they honestly believed they were after Jasper as Alice had said wouldn't they have singled him out even once in their thoughts? At least one of them thought that the Volturri were afraid of us…could they be correct? Could our solidarity be what they were so concerned about? Is that why the Volturri had kidnapped my love? If that were the case why would they turn Bella? Wouldn't that just be adding to our numbers? We would have to leave one of these leaders alive so that they could answer our questions.

It was time to bring the pack up to speed. "Jasper and I think we should abide by the same plan as last time. It will get us through the situation at large. They are surprised to find you here Sam. They weren't told anything about you, so technically this isn't your fight." I shouted over to the large black wolf.

_'Don't be ridiculous…these could be the vamps who have Bella. I'm glad they are surprised and_ _we're still a secret to some of the vampires in the world. First we're making treaties and now we fight along side of each other, acting together like some kind of strange team. I'm glad that we aren't part of their plans…It gives us an advantage that we didn't even have with Victoria and her group. She was expecting us…even if she wasn't expecting us together .We're definitely all on the same side for now. Can you imagine how devastating this could have been if we were against each other? This would be destructive for you and perhaps for us. What a motley crew we are.'_ Sam, who was standing in front of Carlisle on the opposite side of me, shook his head as he thought to me…and because of the psychic connection of the wolves, everyone on his side heard the comment as well.

_'I like that band. I love early 80's metal, and the 80's are back in now you know.'_ The tongue lolling out of Jacob Black's mouth in front of me made me wonder if he was capable of being serious or not. I saw some of the other werewolves laughing to themselves.

_'Thank you Jacob. That was very helpful to the situation at large. I'll try to use that to our advantage in the fight ahead. Let's focus now people. I want a tight circle. Don't break into smaller groups until we have them confused. Stick to the same game plan.'_ Sam scolded the second in command who seemed to narrow his eyes at his superior.

Unfortunately for Sam's obvious desire for some kind of more formal plan, the tension snapped and the Southern vampires chose that moment to attack and as they were about to run forward I warned them all. "They're coming!" The wolves all bowed down bodies stretched back from their front paws. I could see snapping teeth and in some cases dancing impatient legs. I could see the fervor in their heads for battle as Sam tried desperately to keep them from darting ahead. My family crouched down in our circle, backs to each other, a perfect ring of snarling vampires. Alice was loudest of us all her nervousness bending slowly into aggression. I took the hand to the right and left of me. Alice and Rosalie and I gave them each a small squeeze. "Don't worry Alice…we will live to fight again." I let go of their hands and I heard my family begin to snarl like the wolves.

_'HOLD THE LINE!'_ Jacob shouted in his head just as Leah Clearwater began to dodge forward. She let out a small whine and couched even lower.

'_I wasn't going anywhere Jacob. Why do you always have to call me out?' _Leah looked over at Jacob with a look of disdain on her wolfish face.

'_I'm not calling you out Leah, I just expect you to follow orders like everyone else.'_ Jacob snarled back.

'_Kiss my ass!' _She was completely focused away from the advancing vampires now.

'_God you two, shag and get it over with!' _That had been Embry.

'_The very concept of having sex with that idiot after having to watch him make out with vampire girl in my head leaves me as cold as the bloodsukers.'_ Leah taunted back at Jacob.

'_You know what…you kiss MY ass!'_ Jacob had lost focus on the vampires in front of him now as well and was now practically ready to tear into Leah Clearwater instead. Everyone got a very clear mental picture of Jacob biting Leah.

'_You think you can back that up Black! Come on! Bring it!' _Leah was getting more angry by the second, and I kind of wondered if there might be a little sexual tension between the two of them after all. Embry may have gotten it right. I tried to refocus on the battle that was starting in front of me. No time for the Days of Our Lives "wolf edition" right now.

'_Not now damn it! Focus! You can talk about your extra curricular activities when this is over and done with. Leah, don't question Jacob.'_ Sam was snarling on the other side of me and I heard him despite the yells and whoops of the advancing army.

Leah strained not to give a comeback. I could see it in her very stance. It slipped out anyway dripping with sarcasm. _'Sure thing lover.' _

The vampires just ahead of me were running forward in an odd pattern, and when they began to near the wolves they fanned out and ran to the left and right dodging toward the oncoming vampires. It was strange that I heard no thoughts from the leader woman and her strange group, but I had watched her motion toward either side and away from our group. The wolves near me started to spiral into confusion and I saw their teeth flashing and their saliva dripping from angry mouths. _'What the hell?'_ Jacob started to dart toward the right. _'Quill follow me and everyone to the right of him fall to the right. Leah, you and the others will go to the left. Double up people!'_ The wolves immediately started to recover from the confusion and they began to move toward the sides as I watched over my shoulder and Sam engaged in battle. Each wolf was slowing the advance of the creatures ahead of them, but they were only fourteen strong together and the sides were eighteen or more on each side. They inevitably did not hold back the tide, and I watched as Carlisle leapt forward toward his attackers, Esme next to him let out a particularly vicious snarl and I watched her newborn opponent cower slightly before the woman I called mother was tearing into its terrified flesh. I heard the rending noise that signaled her victory and I turned to be part of the battle.

What had once been two unified fronts quickly dissolved into the small groups just as they had done with the twenty that we had fought before. The wolves dancing out of reach of the grabbing hands and snapping jaws of the newborns. I quickly noticed that this fight was going much the same as the last one, if things continued to progress this way it would end in our favor. Newborns were apparently no more practiced in the South than they were here. They were only a small fraction more trained, and it was when I was studying their movements to try to convey further direction to my siblings, that I noticed the female head of the group that had been ahead of me tore directly into the creature that had been at the head of the group that had stood to our north. "The group that broke up is fighting with the other three. Let them tear each other apart. Fight against the other groups." I launched forward just as I saw Alice begin a struggle with a tall newborn with sandy hair. She crawled around his height like a snake and was about to tear off his head when another came at her from behind I snarled and launched myself to the side.

A base feeling of monstrous delight flowed through my body and I embraced my nature. This is what I needed right now. I wanted to release this stress…this hold that humanity had on me that had drug me under and left me so bereaved. I let go of my despair, my constant companion for the past week, and I unleashed the fiend inside of me. This discharge of human feelings, this acceptance of my true nature, the beast within, sang through my un-beating heart and I let loose a thundering roar. The creature that had seconds before been stalking my sister fell beneath my advancing weight. I let my mind focus on the prey under my hands. I tore at the black haired female's flesh and she let out a shriek of terror. I rent her arm from her body and threw it away from her and she howled in pain. Her other arm shot out toward my neck in a bid to kill me first, but I was making a move too. I sealed my teeth around her throat and began to tear her head away from her body. The sound that reminded me of skirling steel came to my ears and I allowed a small smile as I tore her head from her corpse, my hands yanking the hair on her head back as I spat the venom from her neck out of my mouth. Her head dangled away from her body as the skull swung back and forth with my effort. The hand that had closed on my neck as I was tearing out the thin column of flesh fell lifelessly to the side and I tossed the head away. I took little time in tearing the rest of her body apart.

I looked at Alice behind me and I saw her biting and clawing at the sandy haired vampire. It was the most vicious I had ever seen Alice fight. Pieces of him were flying everywhere. Jasper looked over his shoulder and seemed satisfied with his wife's progress so far. What she had lost in foresight she had gained in unforgiving ferocity. "EMMETT!!!" I heard Rosalie scream just as I began to fight with another "dark skinned" vampire. This time it was a man only slightly smaller than myself. He let out a string of profanities in rapid fire Spanish and I quickly realized that I had probably destroyed his mate. This made me even angrier than I had been at the attacking female. My mate had been taken from me first. Bella's scent fogged my mind for a second and as I rent and tore at his flesh blindly while I heard him scream out what I assumed to be his mate's name. He was losing chunks of flesh under my tearing hands. They had stolen my love from me first! No one had a right…I closed my eyes momentarily as a splash of some kind of corrosive venom came dangerously close to my eyes. The creature could spit acid. He began to spit another column of ichor into my face as I grabbed at his jaw. His hands immediately tried to gain purchase against my own, but I was tearing off his jaw before he could stop me. I set my teeth against his flesh and tore, for a second time, the offending flesh beneath my lips. It burned with the acid that was pouring from his ruined mouth, but I was satisfied as his head came away from his shoulders and I threw the offending sphere far away from its now dismantled body.

I looked up from my position on the ground toward the earlier commotion, toward the place that I had heard Rosalie screaming. I could now understand why. Emmett was practically drowning under a group of vampires. His hands kept closing around bodies and throwing them off of him but his movements were lethargic and stilted, his mind was the only thing that was working at normal speed, and it was telling the story of his panic. They were overwhelming him, but it was not through numbers, his mind was telling me that he could hardly move. One of the creatures that were climbing all over him had a paralyzing touch. It was the small miracle of my brother's own power, his strength, that he was still able to move at all. Rosalie was trying desperately to get to her husband. Her advances stopped each time by a new foe. She let out a growl of anger and fear. I began to get up to aid my sibling as Jacob slammed into the body pile around my brother and came away with a vampire clenched in his jaws. Unfortunately I noticed that he had come away with more than the offending creature, Emmett let out a booming cry as the thing in Jacob's mouth tore away his arm as well.

"Alice?" I looked at the little vampire nearby and my sister smiled at me.

"I think I'll be okay. This isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be…but something is still kind of funny in my head. It's like a buzz…no a hum! It's humming. Like your song! Oh, it doesn't matter! Go save Emmett!" I nodded my head and ran toward my brother. He was definitely not going to succeed in fighting them off himself and I saw that they were trying to take his other arm. He would perish. 

"EMMETT! Hold on, I'm coming!" I was on my feet and away from my sister before anyone else could engage me. I searched quickly into the mind of the creatures before me. One of them was holding my brother in thrall and I had to figure out which one and quickly. I watched, almost as if in slow motion, the monsters gaining their advantage over Emmett. I dodged through a fight between Esme and another woman and leapt around another newborn that was trying to fight me, Seth, the wolf that had fought Riley in the clearing tackled him. "Thank you Seth." The wolf let out a barklike laugh as indication that he heard me.

'_No problem. We still make a great team.'_ There was one thing I had to say about Seth Clearwater…he seemed like he didn't care as much as the others did about our differences. I let out a ferocious snarl as my brother's statue still form fell under the onslaught of so many vampires at once. I couldn't see him under the pile anymore and I watched as they tore and bit at my brother's body. I crashed into the heap and went directly for the kill.

She had golden hair like Rosalie, but that was where the resemblance ended. She was, it seemed, incapable of using her power against more than one opponent. She froze my fingers in place the second they had fallen around her neck. I didn't have my brother's latent strength, and therefore I could not move an inch. I was trapped, helplessly inside my head. I heard a whine of panic rise up through my mind, as she redirected her onslaught onto me. Her thoughts were dark, and she enjoyed the tenor of battle, and even more, she enjoyed bringing pain…I saw my death in her mind. I felt her nails begin to tear through the stone flesh of my chest. _'Bella…I'm sorry. I failed.'_

Emmett began to move again beside me and he aggressively tore his one arm through the throng of forms on top of him. His restored movement was like letting loose a wrecking ball on the bodies of the creatures. He threw them like rag dolls and I watched with morbid fascination as Emmett came away with arms and legs despite the handicap of losing his own arm. "Edward!" My brother knew what was happening to me, I was sure of that. He had definitely put two and two together. The teeth of the golden haired vampire dug into my stone cold flesh and I could not scream in my pain because my mouth was clamped shut and her power over me was absolute, I just lay there horrified as she began to take me apart tearing ribbons of my flesh away. Emmett took the last vampire that was holding onto his body and threw him roughly into my attacker. Her body soared away from mine but left a gaping wound where she had tried to hold onto my body with her teeth. "God! Man are you okay?" I looked down at the slashes across my chest and the chunk missing from my side and grunted as Emmett hauled me to my feet with his one good arm. I cleared my throat as it finally unlocked enough for speech and I smiled at my brother who was clearly the one who was worse for wear.

"Where's your ear?" I looked at the place on his head where the flesh had once been an ear but was now just a torn mangled mess. The whole side of his face was raked with claw marks and there were now bites and slashes all over his torso. His shirt had been completely destroyed in the tousle and his pants had been shredded beyond even Esme's repair. He looked like he'd been in a fight with a pair of hedge clippers and completely lost.

"Not really sure…but my body burns like hell." Emmett rubbed in an irritated fashion at his new wounds. Above it all was his missing arm, which was…who knew where? I was just about to go looking for the missing limb when Jacob trotted up next to us looking slightly tousled. In his mouth was Emmett's arm and he looked a little too much like someone's large faithful dog. Of course the stick he'd brought back was like something from a horror movie. He handed off the appendage and looked directly into my eyes.

'_Don't laugh! I don't usually play fetch. This one is a freebie. By the way, you look like crap, nice acid burn there…kind of Phantom of the Opera.'_ I could tell that he was fighting every aspect of his nature by showing Emmett this kindness and his hostility toward me was irritation at the situation not with me. He felt as if he were betraying part of his ancestral heritage by giving an enemy back any part of his anatomy that had been successfully removed. He probably was actually.

"Thanks kid!" Jacob nodded his head and watched as Emmett looked at the arm in his hand and flexed the fingers in the one that wasn't attached. "Cool." At Emmett's observation Jacob let out a barklike laugh and I rolled my eyes and the three of us went in separate directions. I went back toward Alice who was currently tousling with a small female. Jacob took another one of the wolves and went toward the golden haired female who had torn through my flesh, and Emmett began to make his way through the creatures who had overwhelmed him. He was swinging his unattached arm like a club at the oncoming vampires and had Rosalie's help now as well as a small brown male werewolf. Rosalie was being particularly vicious to the offending attackers. I heard his voice in the distance say "I challenge you to a duel!" Then I heard a resounding slap. He had used the unattached arm. I rolled my eyes again as I continued to dart forward.

"Edward, oh my God! Are you alright?" Esme was starting a fire as she lit the creature she had been fighting and a purple smoke began to rise into the air. Wolves began dropping bits and pieces of their kills on the smoking remains and Esme began to gather up the other various parts of the attackers that had already been dispatched. She put her hand up to the burns on my face and I hissed. "I'm sorry dear. That looks a bit painful."

"I'm fine." I lied. I actually felt the flesh on my face reforming after the acid had eaten through it. Somehow it had been corrosive enough to burn through my face and it smoldered unpleasantly. Much like the wolves we healed quickly. I was glad I couldn't see myself at the moment. Jacob was probably right. I hoped my face healed before I saw Bella again. The skin trenches across my chest and the chunk at my side were only slightly less annoying. Another dark skinned vampire attacked me and I engaged once again in battle. If he had been allowed to get older than he was right now he would honestly become very quick, he already was for a newborn. Unfortunately for him I was still much faster. As if I were being punished for my vanity, despite my speed, he swerved left and away from my hand and I cursed loudly as he sprung up behind me. His arms were around my torso as I threw my body forward into a judo hip throw. He soared indelicately toward the ground and I pushed his head into the fire that we had fallen next to. His cries of pain filled my ears as I pulled his charring face back out of the flames and I decapitated him and put him out of his misery. "Nothing so painful that a little relaxation time and a week at the spa won't cure." My mother laughed as she hauled a body into the flames.

"ALICE! LOOK OUT!" It was Jasper. He sounded panicked and I watched over my shoulder helpless as Alice was knocked over by two larger vampires. The female she had been fighting was dispatched but she was standing over the body and it had caused her to trip when the two knocked into her. I spun around and got up, taking off at the same time as Jasper, but I reached her seconds before he did. The bigger of the two was sitting on her hips as the smaller one sunk his teeth into her throat I heard the telltale skirling of tearing flesh and I saw red. These monsters could not have Alice's life. I wouldn't allow that at all. I tore at her larger attacker I couldn't reach the smaller one. I needn't have worried about the monster at her throat; Jasper was already falling upon the smaller one…but at what price? Had we been too late to save Alice? I ripped and tore violently through the creature. He was putting up very little resistance at the end. I had torn off both of his arms and clawed through his chest until I was tearing through ribs. "Alice! God Alice…Please sweetheart. Speak to me." He was shaking her shoulders and I could see the slash through the flesh in her neck. I tore off the offending head of the large vampire and threw it toward Esme's fire. I saw her pick it up and throw it in before rounding back in our direction.

"ALICE!" Esme shrieked and suddenly she was running toward us single mindedly coming for her child. She would never have seen the other attacker coming and I threw myself at her legs, tackling my mother to the ground. The vampire went sailing overhead and a nearby smallish grey wolf, Leah Clearwater, began tearing him to bits. "ALICE! Let go of me Edward! ALICE!" She struggled against my arms, but I was not going to let her up. If this was to be their last moments together, then Alice and Jasper needed to be alone. It was then that I heard the piercing shriek of a wolf. The large black wolf, Sam Uley, was like my brother had been, covered in a group of five vampires. Unfortunately he wasn't nearly as resistant and as I watched in horror I felt his mind go quiet. The other wolves stopped in their tracks and as one they howled against their pain. It became deathly quiet. Sam was dead. It happened so fast that no one could help him. No one could have saved him, and he hadn't even screamed for their help. He had gone down silently fighting.

Meanwhile I watched as Jasper began to shake Alice by her shoulders and wail. Her eyes stared up at me sightlessly as if she were in one of her visions and Esme and I reached them just as the field broke into battle once again. I looked in vain for Carlisle. I saw him fighting beside the wolves as they tried to salvage Sam's body from the biting clawing masses of vampires on top of him. I felt myself give in to the pain of loss again. Poor Sam had been a good man. I had always respected his calm authority and love that he held for his brothers. He was even tempered and gave us respect despite the natural animosity that we shared. Alice had been such a comfort to me for all of these years. I was horrified at what Jasper might become in her absence…or if Jasper would be anything at all without her. He looked up at me with a lost expression on his face. It was like he was begging me to fix her. I was suddenly filled with guilt. If I had stayed by Alice's side this might not have happened. Rosalie may have been able to help Emmett by herself. What if I had just doomed Alice to death? All around us there was a battle going on, but between the four of us there was stillness. I began to hear more of the squeals that signaled that a wolf was injured or dead. I heard the voice of one of the younger wolves cease inside my head like Sam. I clutched at it…wishing I couldn't hear them suffer and die.

My sister lay there, cold, and unmoving. It was unnerving because Alice was always in motion. Esme turned suddenly and began to fight off a vampire that had tried to take advantage of our grief. She was extremely violent with the creature. They had obviously never seen a mother vampire protecting her children before. Jasper was holding his wife's hand. He had gone silent and reached forward to close her sightless eyes. He bent over her body holding her against his silent heart as I began to deflect another attack. I quickly dispatched the monster trying to benefit from our momentary weakness. I threw the parts in the general direction of the the purple flames and saw Embry pick them up and place them in the fire. The purple monolith began to grow in size. There were seventy bodies for the pyre today and it would grow more before I was done. Perhaps it would have been more kind to let this nameless creature come though. Maybe it would be more acceptable for Jasper to be with Alice…wherever she had gone. I considered it as I listened for my brother's internal voice, but all I could hear was his whispers mirrored in his head. "I love you Alice. I was put here to love you. I'll follow wherever you go love. Don't leave me behind? Please?" I saw his shoulders begin to shake. He would have been sobbing had he been capable of it. "Don't go without me Alice! PLEASE!"

I was focused on the scene in front of me as my mother ruthlessly tore through her victims. I understood Jasper's feelings, but until now they had been trapped inside of him, now they were coming off of him in waves. Unrestrained anguish was crashing out of Jasper and it was almost crippling for me. I watched as a vampire that was attacking from the direction that my brother was facing fell forward bent at the knees, clutching at himself, and crying out with the despair ravaging his body. I had never thought of Jasper's ability as a weapon before, but the attacker was tearing at his own flesh with the cries of agony that fell unrequited from his lips and I knew that the feeling must be unbearable. I couldn't move to destroy him…I couldn't move to protect myself. This was the same pain that I had known when I had lost Bella, and it sent me hurtling back into my grief. All I could do was stand there and feel…and now was a very bad time for that indeed. I heard the creature running at me from behind. I heard his breath coming quickly as he readied himself for the kill, and I would go down easily. I had made the joke to Emmett that I would go with my arms spread wide and accepting death…so that it was easier to tear my arms off. I had joked about it, but now, it was nothing but irony as I stood there my arms held out in supplication and my body wracked with the pain of sadness.

Suddenly, as if she were a puppet that had been jerked by her strings Alice sat straight up and her eyes flew open. She threw Jasper off with very little effort and darted past me under one of my outstretched arms taking out the creature behind me with her usual easy panache. It was as if she had seen the vampire coming and in that moment I heard her thoughts. _'Right. Left. Teeth. Remove jaw, remove arm. Insert teeth into neck from behind…and voila!'_ Alice pitched the head of the creature into the growing purple flames of Esme's fire. She jumped down from the trunk of the creature that fell to the ground only after she had dismounted, and ran to her recovering husband. "I'm so sorry Jasper! I couldn't get out of the vision. I tried so hard! Then I felt you, I heard you and I came back." He began to touch her face, her neck (which I noticed, had almost completely re-knit itself while she was out), her shoulders, and slid his fingers over her arms till he held her hands. It was the tenderest moment I had ever seen them share…and I had walked in on, and thrown them of my bathroom while they were making love on my sink counter two weeks ago. Alice had said it was my fault for being so completely filled with lust for my fiancée. I didn't doubt that was true. Jasper had been taking his wife liberally in every room in the house for three weeks. Bella had felt bad about coming to the house with all of our pent up sexual frustration eating at us and bothering Jasper. Alice had said it wasn't a bother. "It's an excellent distraction Bella dear. I enjoy being felt up in the closet, and you will too." She had whispered it to my future wife, but it hadn't been for the benefit of them sharing a secret, she knew I could hear them even though I was half way across the room. I smiled at her, winked and began to look through the catalog in front of me that was full of boutonnières and she had blushed a beautiful shade of red.

"Alice? What happened that made you go under like that? How did you get your power back? You're going to be okay?" Jasper called over the noise of the fighting. They were hugging each other on the ground kneeling and supporting each other's weight.

"Edward…behind you." I turned around and there was a shocked looking vampire woman who had long brown hair and a nasty sneer on her lips. I quickly sprang behind her and I tore through flesh and bone to quickly dispatch my opponent. One more for the fire that was now being tended by Quill who was walking with an extremely sever limp.

"Because it's obviously back." I said to Alice with a smile. It was nice to have my fellow freak sister back. Things were starting to die down. The wolves led by Jacob were rounding up three vampires that had begun to desert their fellows. The pile of smoking bodies was simply enormous. I could see a group of vampires conversing with my father through the purple smoke, it looked to be the group that had come from my side of the forest. Emmett and Rosalie were gathering up the bits and pieces of their fallen adversaries with the help of the wolf that I knew to be Seth Clearwater who was enjoying spending time with Emmett as the two of them seemed to be in a competition to see who could throw body parts the farthest. Every once in a while he would give him a headbutt of approval. My brother was a great guy…but he was a serious meat head.

"Yeah. I got my power back because someone, and I'm not naming any names or anything here…BELLA…was borrowing it. Apparently that's her thing." She raised her eyebrows at me as if she were expecting me to share her mock horror. "Without permission I might add." She smiled at me then and I went to my sister with a look that must have been joyous despite the pain that a smile was causing to my still repairing skin. "She's on her way, she misses you horribly and she's with the Volturri, but I didn't have enough time to figure out much else. It was really strange. I've never shared a vision before. In the end I got her to stabilize the power and turn it off…That's the thing we both saw before she disappeared. We were in the middle of a battle and I had to stop that vampire from getting you. I saw the future where that didn't go as well…you don't really want to know. Bella told me I had to save you and then she just disappeared so that I could. She was so pretty Edward!" I felt my non-existent heart lurch.

"So she's definitely been turned." I sank down next to Alice and I felt my head sink.

"I'm sorry Edward, but it's kind of what we were expecting anyway. You have to admit, it's better than the alternative." Alice looked up at me through questioning eyes and a hooded expression. Jasper was placing his hand on my other shoulder.

"Yes. I can live with this, in the end it's what we had planned anyway. I have to be strong for her. She's going to need all of us now." I watched as the last three vampires were added to the pile. Emmett and Rosalie were walking back and forth between the fire and the various bits and pieces of the vampires they had dispatched. The wolves began to become humans again, while the injured creatures made small grunts and howls of pain. I heard chaotic thoughts. One of the newer younger wolves named Nicholas was bleeding uncontrollably and internally according to the thoughts of Embry. He sniffed at the younger boy who was trying desperately to become human again. Embry kept telling him that it would kill him to return to his human form…but the boy was in shock. We had to aid the wolves that had been injured before they hurt themselves further.

I heard the pack start breaking into groups in my head. Embry was leading a group of three back to La Push to get the local meeting hall opened up and turned into a hospital Jacob had dispatched them immediately after the three final stray vampires had been rounded up. It wasn't a large building from what I could see in their minds, but none of their houses could accommodate all of the wounded comfortably until they could be treated. Only one of the werewolves was still at the reservation, a small girl named Samantha that was already getting the keys from Billy Black who was horrified to hear of the assault that had just happened and the horrible outcome. Sam Uley's body was lying on the ground and Jared was trying not to cry as he began to lift his pack brother and bring him closer to all of us. Jared called over to Seth for his help and the two of them began carrying the huge black wolf together. Leah Clearwater was in shock standing to the side of Paul who was unconscious and she was trying to get Sam to wake up by shouting his name in her head. She was convinced that he'd simply been knocked out too…that he would be fine in a few minutes. There were a few wolves that were still taking care to get any remaining parts of the vampires they had slain and throw them in the fires. Jacob was taking charge in a very decisive manner, the joking, the smile, and all of his joy seemed to have leeched itself free from his spirit. I hoped it was only temporary. It would hurt Bella to see Jacob so obviously broken.

Jacob walked toward me immediately and shifted into his human form pulling on the sweats that had been tied around his leg. Alice had turned away seconds before his change…obviously she had foreseen that as well even without her ability to see the wolves future, but it was obvious in his stride that he was making his way in my direction and he would obviously want to be human when he addressed me again. "Sam is dead. Mark is dead. Ellie is dead. Paul is unconscious and I can't tell if he's going to wake up. We have more wounded. We need your help. I know I haven't always been the most humble person…but you and your father were able to help me when I was hurt. I know you have two medical degrees and that your father is an excellent doctor. I'm begging you…" He was surprised when I rose to my feet and put my hand on his shoulder. We had sat close together on the cliff for a week, but I had never touched Jacob on his shoulder or otherwise in comfort. It only made him flinch for a second and he quickly relaxed into the gesture.

"You don't have to beg me for anything Jacob. I would help you no matter what you say. Let's get Carlisle and get the wounded back to La Push. Don't worry about the dead, my family will do their best to bring them to you in a respectable fashion. Carlisle!" I watched as my father came through the rising purple smoke and trailing next to him was a female that I recognized as the woman at the head of the southern vampires that were directly in front of me. There were only six of them now, where there had been twelve.

I watched as Jasper disentangled from Alice and rose to his feet. "Maria?"

"Jasper Whitlock as I live and breath!" Maria shook out her sable hair and smiled as if she were expecting him to be excited to see her. She ran around my staring form and threw her arms around Jasper like an old friend…or perhaps more like an old lover. "It's been a dog's age! And my word, but you haven't changed a bit!" As if she had expected him to. I was surprised to actually meet this woman from Jasper's past. She was quite beautiful, but he had described her as ruthless and I was left wondering what her angle was.

"Look. Here's the deal sweetheart. You let go of my husband or you stop living and breathing." Alice glared at the woman who was still wrapped scandalously around my brother. She gave an apologetic half grin and got down from her Ex-General. Jasper seemed more than happy that she was no longer touching him too although he had hugged her for a second.

'_I'm just so happy that we had a little strategic help I can't imagine what all of that would have turned into with the extra twelve vampires. Please tell Alice not to feel jealous…Maria is a bloodthirsty monster, and I'm sure she has a hidden agenda in all of this. There must be something major for her to go out of her way to fool so many of her southern companions. It's possible that she's just figuring out a way to weasel her way out of being torn apart…but at the beginning of the fight they broke away and helped us immediately. I didn't see anyone on her side attacking the wolves…just the other vampires.'_ Jasper was looking directly into my eyes and every once in a while he would look warily between his wife and Maria as if he were going to spring at the taller woman at a moments notice. He had just gotten his wife back from uncertainty and I could see that he wasn't willing to experience the feeling again any time soon.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I didn't know he'd tied the knot! Well congratulations Jasper dear! Your wife seems like a lovely woman. Very compact." Maria smiled at Alice who growled at the offending female. It was possible that Alice was going to attack Maria, but I doubted it.

I gave up watching the fight brewing ahead of me and looked at Carlisle. "We need to help the wolves. They have lost three of their number so far and will lose more if we don't get working."

"Of course Edward. Jacob please get together your wounded. If there are head or neck injuries we will need to clear them before transport. I would hate to have to re-break the spinal chord that far up on a neck." Jacob nodded his head at Carlisle's comment and the other Quileutes began to do as we had asked. "Maria, please feel free to help us."

"I think not Carlisle dear. You may be immune to your feelings against these animals, but I am not. I will follow you to explain things, but I'm not going to go out of my way to help them stick around this planet. They would just as soon take my head from my shoulders thank you very much. I'll make sure that my southern friends don't have any remaining parts lying around instead." She gave a small curtsey and looked at Jasper. "Wanna' help me? You were always good at finding the things you really wanted." Alice growled loudly as I walked away from the group to aid the wolves.

'_I swear to GOD Edward I'm going to ball her up and throw her in the fire.'_ Alice thought at me and I snickered. She was actually taking things very well. Of course she had just looked into the future and seen herself having some very passionate moments between herself and her husband Jasper in her mind and none of them seemed to even point toward him having any feelings of passion for anyone else. They were in rooms that I didn't recognize. It was possible that we were going to leave Forks soon. I wished I could wash out my brain with a toothbrush sometimes and seeing any of my family members en flagrante was definitely a qualifying moment. I gave Alice a look of distaste. _'Oh, Sorry Edward…I didn't mean to subject you to that. Do you want to see what's ahead for you instead? Would that be more palatable?'_ She had a devilish look on her face.

I raised my eyebrow at my sister and shook my head in a negative fashion. I would see it when I got there. That was going to be worth the wait. I got a flash of it anyway. My feet moved slowly and carefully over the ground but I was clearly seeing Alice's vision as well. I recognized my own hands tracing patterns against the naked sparkling white flesh of Bella's stomach, the back of my hand caressing her flesh as she whispers her love to me. I can see her milky white breasts and her pink nipples only covered on the sides by the silken fabric of a robe. The smallish globes that I had taken in my hands only a week ago when my lover had been human had changed and were slightly larger now, made more womanly by her transformation into a vampire. I longed to touch them in my selfishness. Her robe was hanging precariously from her shoulders a promise of things to come as I roughly take her shoulders to kiss her trembling full lips. "Alice, I need to concentrate, and I don't think now is the time or place for such things."

'_I may not read minds Edward, but I saw your eyes just now…they were pretty full of " I don't mind seeing this..'_ My sister fired back.

"My passions for Bella have never been in question dear sister, so it isn't hard at all to drive my mind into the gutter. I'm simply suggesting that now might not be the best time for that, I should be focusing." I scolded to Alice as I continued walking toward my goal, the wolf man I thought might be Quill.

'_Stop being a wet blanket.'_ She laughed back at me.

I looked over with a scowl at Alice and she thought blatantly back at me. The scene had changed slightly and I was grasping at her naked breasts which rose and fell with each thrust of her lovely hips. I watched her head lean back as she bowed further backward adding to her passions. My Bella was stretched far enough for her hair to brush my thighs momentarily as her hips came up and down riding atop my own. I watched as I let my fingers trace back down to her rear and gently over the swell of her hips to help her and I saw them become viselike as she began to thrust harder and faster. Her hands were grasping my thighs in the vision and my eyes shot to where they had been in my mind and for the first time in forever I stumbled over my own feet as I heard the vision of her moan my name in ecstasy in my mind. I looked back again at my sister disapprovingly but she had a wicked smile on her face that showed she was less than repentant. _'That was totally hot if you ask me and if I must suffer, so shall you.'_

"Haven't I suffered enough Alice?" I called over my shoulder and shook my head at her. She shrugged her shoulders and began to speak again with Maria and Jasper as Maria started pointing her remaining creatures in different directions under orders to do clean up. I understood that what Alice had really been trying to do was apologize for a week of my pain. It was an attempt to make up for all of the not knowing and the pure agony that had stamped all of the time between then and now. All of the visions in the world could still be wrong with a decision made either one way or the other, but if she wouldn't have lost her ability we would have at the very least known that Bella was not dead, but I had never thought that Alice was guilty. I had never believed that she was at fault for Bella's plight. "It isn't your fault Alice…it isn't anyone's fault. You don't have to make anything up to me." I had never clearly expressed to my future wife why I didn't always bet on Alice…why it was so dangerous to believe the things that may not be. It was for the moments like these. Moments where we were left knowing what might have been and feeling our despair at the loss. Why mourn for the things that hadn't happened yet. I doubted very highly that Alice would have put Bella through the "wedding torture" every day if she had known she wasn't going to walk down the aisle toward me. She had honestly never foreseen this outcome.

I approached the closest wolf and saw from his thoughts that it was definitely Quill. He looked at me with a pained expression. _'Go take care of Collin…I think he might be dying.'_ I searched in my memory for Collin but I shook my head.

"I don't know all of you well enough to identify Collin on sight…Can you point him out to me if I carry you with me?" I questioned him and he nodded his wolfy head. I heaved Quill up over my shoulders and he only whined at first when I jostled him. "I'm sorry, I know you have broken ribs. I'm trying to be delicate."

'_Don't worry about delicate. I've never had anyone carry me before. My very own bloodsucker valet.'_ His thoughts were joking and I laughed along with him. _'There he is!'_ Quill's muzzle pointed with effort toward a small dark brown wolf that was heaving breaths out on the ground. A small puddle of blood was forming under his snout. I winced at the state of the young man. He was probably not going to survive unless we began treatment immediately and I had no glucose or anything we needed to get blood back into his body, and he had yet to be typed, I wasn't even sure what blood type he was…Even when they were wolves their blood was human, but we would need so much to keep him alive, not to mention the surgery to re-knit whatever had been ravaged. I saw the stains leading up to the boy and I feared what I would find if I were to turn him over.

'_I'm dying. I'm dying. I'm dying.'_ He was saying it over and over in his head and I saw that his labored breathing seemed to be matching his thoughts, like he was intentionally piecing out his thoughts because anything else was an effort.

"Not today." I responded to his earlier thought and Quill looked up at me hopefully as I sank down next to Collin and placed Quill gently on the ground next to him. I set one of my hands against his ribs and he began to thrash. "Stop!" I cried out. He was going to make the internal hemorrhaging worse. "Quill, tell him that I'm here to help. I know he's not going to believe me."

'_Collin, calm down kid. He's gonna' try to stop the bleeding, and you're doing too much of that to be safe right now. It's just Edward. Do you remember Edward? He's one of Dr. Fangs sons remember?' _Quill raised his head enough to rest his snout on top of Collin's. The boy immediately calmed down. My touch had caused him to panic, and Quill's had caused him to relax.

'_Do no harm.'_ I thought to myself. _'How can I possibly do any more harm than this?'_ I began searching for the various punctures and when I established that none of his damage was spinal in nature I looked over at Quill. "I'm going to have to turn him over…you're going to have to move." Quill leaned his head away from Collin and I cautiously turned him over and found the mess on the other side of his body. He had been torn open, his ribs were visible, the flesh completely torn away in parts, and I could see where there were ribs broken and it had punctured his lung…possibly his heart. It was all at the wrong angle. Quill started to shake and I saw him turn human.

"HOLY CRAP!" He screamed and held his arm and rolled a bit on the side. He had a few broken ribs, a broken arm, and his leg was fractured pretty badly, which all would probably have to be re-broken and re-knit because they had probably done so all wrong because of the wolves ability to heal. "FUCK!" He rolled onto his back and slowly started to get up. "Just in case you were wondering I do indeed kiss my mother with this mouth…" That was said weakly but definitely with humor and I tried to force a smile as he fought against the bile in his throat that I could smell. Whether it was from the incident of his broken parts, or if it was the product of seeing Collin's internal organs I would never know because I was concentrating on the chaotic thoughts of the young boy under my hands. "Good lord kid…that's a mess. Doctor Fang is going to set you up with the good drugs and you're going to see fairies and unicorns and sexy bikini models all over the place. You're going to be fine."

'_The whole Swedish Bikini Team?'_ He looked at Quill who looked at me. It had been his first thought that wasn't in the vein of "I'm dying."

"He wants to know if he can see the whole Swedish Bikini Team." I smiled at the two of them.

"SURE! You can tell me about them when you wake up…" Collin had suddenly passed out. "Collin? Collin? Is he dead? I promised his mom that I would look out for him today. He wasn't supposed to even be here. He got stuck when the leeches chased him out of the forest. No disrespect meant."

"None taken Quill. He is not going to die either, not if I have anything to say about it. Carlisle…" I saw my father turn his head away from his patient thirty or more feet away. We were speaking as though we were right next to each other, and it was a wonder to me that we had any time left for my patient because he was going deeply into shock. I was terrified that he was going to die before I could do anything of worth. "Is it going to be possible for someone to steal an ambulance. I…don't know if we can move Collin. It would be incredibly dangerous for him without stabilization and a crash cart, and I want him to be up and running by next week." I tried not to let the skepticism enter my voice, but I knew that Quill heard it when he looked at me with panic in his eyes.

"I don't know son. Emmett! Rosalie! I'm going to need supplies as well. The wolves that were hurt are very badly injured. How about you borrow an ambulance from the hospital and bring it to us, that way we'll be able to get them some morphine for the pain and stabilize the wounded. Do not be seen." I watched my siblings dash away from the scene very quickly and I began to tear my shirt apart so that I could at least staunch the bleeding and Quill did the same with his sweat pants. Not wanting to be naked in front of everyone Quill turned back into a wolf and let out a stream of curses that I could hear loudly in my head.

"If you keep doing that you're going to actually hurt yourself." I began bunching the fabric and then wrapping it securely around Collin's body. I wasn't sure if I would be able to help the young wolf boy in time. I had never ventured into veterinary sciences, and the wolf was no more human than I was at the moment. He had already begun to lose consciousness and I heard his heart slowing down…I tried to keep pressure on the wound. Each minute there was less blood coursing through his veins and more on the ground despite my efforts. At seven minutes I could hear the slowing of his blood and I looked up at Carlisle in a panic I was going to lose my patient. Carlisle was on his fourth or fifth wolf now. I was always in awe of my father's abilities, but right now I envied them deeply because I wasn't nearly as skilled. "I need you. I can't keep him alive. Father he's fading." Quill let out a small whine. Collin's mind had gone silent and so there was no connection between them other than what I could tell him, and it was turning very bleak.

"Do you have the tourniquet tight enough? Here Alice hold this right here against Ian's artery and don't let go. He's been losing far too much through his neck. We don't have the fluids to replace extreme bloodloss yet, so were going to have to try to keep as much as we can inside the body. Can you do it? I can get one of the wolves…"

"I can do it." She placed her hands over the cloth covering the gaping tear in the wolf's neck and I watched Alice apply pressure to the wound. She looked thoroughly uncomfortable, but at the same time she looked determined. She didn't want the young wolf to die that much I could see in her eyes. "Ian, you're kind of smelly, but I know you're a good kid. I need you to stay with me till we can fix you okay?" He didn't respond to her comment and I listened for his mind. The thoughts were a steady stream of things he wanted to do. Places he wanted to go. I hoped that he would get the opportunity to experience all of it.

"Don't push too hard now Alice. They are breakable creatures right now despite their size. I'm coming Edward. Keep them as comfortable as you can Jasper." Jasper stood away from Alice and my father, distancing himself from the free flowing blood of the wounded and yet staying close. He was trying his very best to keep the feelings of the wounded men comfortable and calm.

'_The failure here is partially mine. I knew better than to allow some of these boys fight. Too much inexperience and too much youthful zest for battle always ends in this kind of loss.' _My brother was going to beat himself up regardless of how well the rest of the situation went. While Jasper was ruminating over the fate of his troops Emmett and Rosalie were returning from their jaunt. Rosalie was driving while a partially restored Emmett cleared the way for the vehicle. He was actually being very silent for someone who was displacing trees. I've never been so happy to see one of my siblings in a stolen vehicle before. The ambulance was running silent, but the lights were now flashing on the top of the vehicle as Rosalie pulled into the field.

Carlisle ducked down by my side and he began to take stock of the situation while I let up pressure for a second for my father to investigate his wounds. He looked at me quickly and asked for my assessment in his head. "We're looking at broken bones, internal lacerations, and I get the feeling that there may be a puncture to the lower aortal cavity. At this point that's just a guess though because I can't move the rib for fear of causing him to bleed out." My father nodded his head and needlessly rolled his shoulders as he set to work on the young man.

'Please see to the others and take over for Alice now Edward. Your skills are definitely not in question. You've done very well here.' He allowed me the time to stroke the fur of Collin's neck before I moved away. Quill seemed to be thanking me with his eyes, but he was rehearsing what he would say to Collin's mother.

Jacob walked up to our side and took a place next to Quill. "We've got the space cleared for the arrival of the injured. How is Collin?"

I looked at Jacob and I knew the doubt was showing because he looked away from me and down at his pack brother. "Really Jacob I don't know. I'm not half the doctor Carlisle is, and he's very badly injured."

"You're selling yourself short son. You've done an excellent job given the circumstances. Jacob…what are the chances of getting this boy to change into a human? It might help me get him out of the woods a little easier. I want him hooked to a heart monitor first of course. No reason to take unnecessary risks with his future." I began to walk away from the four of them and walk back to the other wounded who were lying together on the ground, the five that were laying close together and receiving treatment from Rosalie and Alice were alive only two of them were still wolves now, probably under Carlisle's orders. I watched as my brother Emmett said last rights over the bodies of the dead and he was covering them delicately with sheets. The only one who had yet to return to human guise was Sam Uley, he was still the large black wolf that I had seen fall under the weight of too many vampires at once. When Emmett made to cover him Leah Clearwater turned into a grey wolf breaking through her clothes and snarled at him. I put myself between them and the wounded in case there was a fight and we had to protect them from further harm. I heard the murderous intent in her head but I had to believe that Emmett could do this by himself.

Jacob barreled into Leah from the side as he had witnessed the same thoughts in his own head. _'What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't snarl at him! Don't you dare! They are helping us. They are all helping us!'_

'_NO! They can't have Sam! He's not dead. See? He isn't turning back. He isn't dead! HE CAN'T BE DEAD_!' She shoved her head back against Jacob's side and took a small snap at him. Despite what she was I saw very human tears falling from her eyes now.

'_It was a risk he knew he might run. We all knew it might be us.' _Jacob snarled back at Leah.

'_It can't be him Jacob! He's still a wolf. He is going to be fine!'_ Leah cried.

'_Leah…He's dead.' _This time his words were soft and comforting, but they had a feeling of finality.

'_NO!' _Shebegan struggling to get to Sam and Emmett stood back and away from the body of the wolf holding the sheet and looking sad. He couldn't hear their thoughts like I could, but he was definitely getting the gist of the conversation._ 'You don't understand. None of you understand. We have to bring him back alive. He has to live!'_

'_Let him rest now Leah. He's earned peace.' _Jacob was holding her back with a gentle look in his eyes.

'_TRAITOR! LEECH LOVER!' _The struggle continued, but now it was a full blown fight. Snapping jaws and flashing teeth. I watched as Leah and Jacob began to fight in earnest. She was trying very hard to hurt him but it was in vain. Animalistic growls issued from each of them, but Jacob had the upper hand. Leah was not thinking at all, just lashing out in anger. Jacob had brought her down quickly, and Embry and Seth were holding her down now as I watched the russet wolf change into a man once more.

"What the HELL is wrong with you?!? This hurts me too! Why are you fighting me Leah? What have any of us done to deserve this? It wasn't our fault." Her eyes were wet with tears and rolled with the madness in her head. "Don't make me do this Leah…Don't make me say it."

Leah Clearwater began to struggle against her brother and Embry again. Just as her sharp teeth were about to close on Embry's right leg Jacob screamed, "Stop Leah, all of you! HUMAN NOW! That's an order!" She let out a small whimper and all three of them became human at once. Right next to me I watched as Sam became human as well. His body was more obviously mauled now that the rough fur wasn't hiding the damage. His ribs were caved in, and his bones in his legs were facing in odd directions that indicated they had been badly broken. Somehow his face remained free of the utter destruction of the rest of his body. It was as if Sam had been waiting for Jacob to take the mantle of leadership from him before he could return to his natural state.

"NO!" The cry was shrill. It was heartbreaking to watch Leah crumple to the ground. I watched as every remaining wolf on the field became human…including Collin. My father cursed very loudly. Jacob would have to learn to be more selective with his words. He began to work furiously under the new conditions of his injury. A body that was already in trauma could not undergo such a dramatic change without some further damage and I heard the small monitor next to the boy crash. Quill was cursing loudly again because he had morphed once again despite his broken bones that kept splintering with the transformation. Alice had to reintroduce a more substantial tourniquet onto the wolf she had been working on earlier with the neck wound.

"Oh GOD! I'm sorry Doctor Cullen! I had no idea!" Jacob was scrambling back toward Collin and I grabbed his shoulder.

"Leave him space to work. You won't want to watch this if he can't save him." Jacob looked up at me as I said this with determination in his eyes.

"He's my responsibility now. All of them are." He spoke with conviction. He was taking the mantle of his leadership seriously. He truly believed that if Collin died it was completely his fault.

"No Jacob. Everyone makes decisions in life. Collin fought bravely for his brothers and my family. Don't be like that." I wasn't about to let him damn himself when he didn't deserve it.

"Stay out of my head Edward." He had said it with none of his usual enmity, and for once he had said my name. He hadn't called me by any of his colorful derogatory monikers. He was in pain. I tried to recall the Jacob from the past in my mind and I tried to superimpose the image on top of his face. The two were so discordant with each other that they were almost two different people. Bella had once called out to "My Jacob" in her sleep. It had immediately broken my heart because I had come to the conclusion that she was using a term of endearment. She had told me that I had misunderstood and she was using the term "my" as a way of differentiating between the Jacob that was under orders from Sam and the Jacob she had come to know before he was a werewolf. What would she think of this new Jacob?

"Let my father do what he can. Get someone to carry the stabilized wounded back to the hall and you can deal with Leah. She needs your help. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want it…" I tapped my head and Jacob gave me a very wan smile, "but she needs it." I tried to convince him to take a step back and breath. Comforting Leah would be a distraction from his cloying unstoppable destiny.

"You're right. Seth, Embry…get the wounded back to La Push. Emmett is going to load the unmovable ones into the ambulance. Quill, you need to stay in the hall until we can get a look at those broken bones." He walked tentatively toward Leah and lifted her naked form away from the bodies. They walked past my mother and the remaining southern vampire coven as the purple flames continued to leap into the sky. Esme offered Leah her shirt and the woman reluctantly took it from her. They walked into the cloying sweet smelling smoke and disappeared into its concealing rolling clouds. I heard them anyway, but I wanted desperately to get away from all of the horror of what was happening all around me. "I'm sorry for your loss Leah. I'm sorry for what happened to Sam. I know how much you loved him. He knew it too. We're all here for you." Jacob's voice was as gentle as I'd ever heard him speak with the wolf girl.

"You don't understand." Leah was whispering but I could hear her voice as clear as if she were standing next to me. My father was working to save Collin. The monitor was no longer flat, but his heart was beating very faintly. It was only a matter of time before he crashed again. He needed a stable environment. Rosalie was getting the stretcher ready next to Collin's body and Carlisle began to introduce fluids and a bag of fresh blood was hanging next to the IV Drip on a rolling stand that stood very awkwardly in the uneven ground. Emmett had left the bodies in the care of Maria and her group. Not to transport them, but to stand watch over them. Jasper and Alice were going to walk to La Push with the injured. Alice picked up the smallest of them and began walking into the forest toward La Push with Embry and Seth. Jasper was attempting to keep them calm in transit. Quill limped quickly behind them. His mind supplied the word "ouch" every time he stepped down on his broken leg.

"You keep telling me I don't understand Leah, but I do. We share a brain. I know what your feelings were. It's okay to feel broken right now. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed myself." Jacob countered to her comments.

I could hear the scathing anger and misery creeping back into Leah's inner voice, "and I'm TELLING you that you don't understand. It's the only secret that I've ever been able to keep to myself. The only thing that every single one of you doesn't know yet, and that's saying something because I had finally come to grips with everything. I had finally given up my thoughts of him for something infinitely more precious." The thought that went through her head made me run toward them. I couldn't let Leah tell Jacob what was in her mind yet. I couldn't let this fall on his shoulders he was only just barely holding together as it was.

"I'm all ears Leah. Did you imprint?" I thought I might have heard Jacob's voice become hesitant when he asked, but I heard his guess and I ran faster.

"No, well, It's Emily. I promised her that I would protect Sam from harm and that she had nothing to worry about. I failed her Jake, and now he'll never know." Leah looked sad as she spoke. I broke through the smoke and watched as Jacob looked at Leah with worry in his eyes. "She found out two days ago…she was going to wait to tell him. I figured it out because we're still like sisters. Even with all of this between us, even when Sam tore us apart we were still like sisters, but I swore to her I wouldn't tell him until all of this was over and I didn't somehow…I was able to keep it between us despite the pack. Emily is pregnant with Sam's child." I didn't need Jasper there with me to know the anguish that was breaking over Jacob when he fell to his knees there amongst the burning remains of his enemies and the bodies of his friends, one of which would never know the face of his own child.


	11. Somewhere in Time

Escaping Sol

Somewhere in Time

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

I know I've been lax about my updates with my personal life impinging on my fun. Bear with me. I'm going to be on a stop and start basis here for a while I guess. I know you've all been so patient, and there are many of you who have said wonderful and supportive things. I can't tell you how great it is to know that people are enjoying this as much as I am enjoying the writing process itself. You guys are all so cool! Not to mention that this story has officially had more than 60 reviews which is marvelous, or as Edward would say…I appreciate everything you've done, and your praise of me is simply absurd.  I loff Edward. However, with this chapter we're back with the amazing Bella as she makes her way slowly but surely back into the waiting arms of her family.

Bella is going to listen to a story in this chapter that some of you might like quite a bit for its connotations or you may hate me for it. Either way I'm going to warn you. The characters are all part of Hebrew mythology, God, Satan (Lucifer "the Light Bringer"), Adam, Eve, and Lillith. I have woven a story from that and left most of the actual Biblical bits out to write myself a plausible vampire mythology. I want to offend no one with my story. Please do not be offended by the story. : ) That being said I do hope you like it. I worked tirelessly on it for a few days.

Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse belong to Stephanie Meyer. Fodor's Guide to Conversational Italian would belong to Fodor's if it existed. Jane Austin wrote "Pride and Prejudice". Kipling did in fact write poetry, Charles Dickens classic a "Tale of Two Cities" were all mentioned in this chapter.

BPOV

I stared in horrified wonder at the cloaked figures in front of me. It had been easy to concentrate on Alice and the family while I had been locked in the trunk with the slowly thawing frozen blood. Now that I had stepped out into this endless sea of vampires I was finding it hard to concentrate on anything, and my desire to block Alice from my mind became ephemeral. As I stood there at the boundary to the endless lines of Volturri I heard a low buzz begin in my head. There were too many of them here. My heart would have been pounding out a panicked beat had I still been human and I listened for it regardless. This was not what I'd thought of when the Volturri had offered their support. Honestly I thought that there would be a small group of ten or so vampires. This was probably twenty times that number, this was a true army. Silent and numb from the sheer size of the group ahead of me I realized too late that this sudden lack of concentration was not the best of ideas…because now I felt the wave of unrestrained powers vying for control of my body.

It was painful to take on so much energy at once, and I was at my knees and clutching my torso to keep from flying apart. I was drowning in the sensation of too many emotions, too many physical changes, and too much raw latent power. I warred with the demon inside and was lost in the current as I felt myself changing. Felix and Heidi were already by my side when I lost the battle to keep the pain inside and began to scream. It was simply too much too early. Whimpers tore through my throat and I tried very hard to stop the flow of power into myself. Whispers of the creatures reached me despite my cries as if they were right next to my already sensitive ears…someone had super hearing. _'Great.'_ I was less than excited about the prospect of having no control over myself and being able to hear everyone getting upset with me because I was causing them to feel empty like I had done with Julian.

It was too much of an effort to stop the avalanche now that it was in motion, and somewhere along the line my mind had begun to splinter, there were too many different aspects of myself now to get anything under control.

"Angel?" Felix sounded concerned. I wished I could tell him to pick me up and get me away from the madness that was invading my mind. How far would I have to go to get away from this? Right now I thought that there might be no place on the planet far enough.

"Oh, God! Is she going to be okay? Are those bones sticking out of her shoulders?" Heidi was crouching next to me and shaking my body slightly…as if that could possibly be helping me find my concentration.

I had felt the bones tear through my skin, but I had vainly hoped it was in my mind, one of the many aspects I could feel jockeying for control of my body, and the phantom pain of some kind of other power. No such luck apparently. My clothes are ruined again. Heidi was running her hands over the bone spurs sticking out of my shoulders and the tattered clothes that they had torn through. I wasn't sure how anyone got through the day with these horrible physical additions…maybe I could retract them if I knew what I was doing. As it stood I simply hoped that I was producing more bone and not leeching out the stuff I already had. Someone in the crowd was obviously a shape shifter as well; I was becoming taller and slightly mannish. I was extremely against the idea of being a man…I didn't want to experience life with man parts. I fought against the change and was happy when it stopped its progression, although it seemed that concentration in one area while neglecting others just let the floodgates open to new horror.

"Aro thought this might happen. He wanted to see if she could take on everything here today. I think in a strange sort of way the answer to his question is yes. She seems more than capable of storing more than one power at once. No reason to put her through so much agony for long though. She needs to be properly trained. We should have at least prepared her for this, that Aro, he's such a cheeky old fart sometimes. CARMEN?" Felix's shout was accompanied by a sudden spark of irrational anger. I had lost the battle of sanity. It was so overrated anyway. I couldn't even find myself under the weight of so many abilities. Edward had been silent up until that point. Hearing his voice was like putting my head above water.

"My Love…be calm. Don't give in to rage and personalities that aren't even yours. Shut them out." He was right. I wanted more than anything to be free of the burden of power. "Close your eyes love and shut them out." I felt myself changing back into my own features and the bone spurs had vanished back into my shoulders. Thank God for my hallucinations. I felt hands fall on my shoulders just as I was going to gain control on my own. They were gentle hands but I didn't want them touching me for some reason.

"Carmen…put our Angel into lala land before she hurts someone." Now that I could concentrate better I heard some cries of pain and confusion rippling through the crowds in front of me. Obviously the others had noticed my intrusion as well. The one called Carmen had her hands on my shoulder still and I felt the individual dimension of her power, and I fought the addition of her skills to my veritable collection that was still swimming inside of me. As I tried to hold back her sway over me as well as attempting desperately to gain control I felt the small shred of command I had gained rip away again. I cried out with the jolt of pain, but instead of drowning again under its weight I felt myself sorting through each individual ability as if I were staring at a catalogue. My eyes slammed closed and I tried once again to do as Edward told me. Focus myself and be calm and centered. Why would I ever give in to something like this? I couldn't lose control. It would be so dangerous.

In my mind Edward was holding my hand and with my eyes closed I could see him protectively curled over me I remembered what Julian had said about seeing Edward with me. I wondered if I had perhaps stolen his ability again or if I were just in the middle of a very lovely hallucination. He was trying so hard to keep me from pain, from any sort of harm. A growl of defeat was suddenly at his lips and as surely as I had sensed him with me before he was gone. _'NO! Edward! Please don't go! Don't leave me alone…I can't do this alone!'_

Suddenly I could smell a family of humans that I knew couldn't possibly be close by. Surrounded by vampires, I could take comfort in the lack of human life. I shuddered at the nightmare that this cloying extension of my hunting senses was causing and at the same time I felt myself fall into a feral crouch. I screeched in anger at the power that had ripped Edward from me, and I would undoubtedly kill the insignificant humans that had distracted me and forced me to lose him. My world had narrowed down to me and my prey…they would never know what had come for them.

My body was ready to take in more of the life giving essence that I could now smell as if it were right under my nose. I was becoming weak to the thirst, weak to the hunger that was now magnified from my suffering. Venom coated my mouth as I smelled each scent and learned its story. I was shocked, in what parts of me were left to be stunned by any activity I might make, to find myself ready to end such full lives. Brothers and sisters and a few of them were with their lovers. These connections were nothing to me now. Someone had an ability that was like learning the story of their blood. I knew every moment of their lives through the singular beating of their heart. It started from the moment of their conception and would end the instant that I sunk my teeth into their waiting flesh. It was like adding to the book of my own life, whose tattered pages had already stopped being written in. Some part of me reeled against the sweet smell of their temptation but it was too small for me to give it notice. They were young like I had been before the end of my life. I let out a vicious growl and readied myself for the sprint that I knew would be even faster because that was another gift that I had stolen.

I broke free of the individuals that were holding me back; they had become mere distractions, and quickly wove my way through the countless waves of vampires around me. I was focusing in on my kill. I could hear their beating hearts in my head, and I learned the stories of their blood. I could almost feel the sweet surrender of their essence draining down my throat. My body would absorb the power of the life giving sanguine liquid and I would be strong, much stronger than I was now. Through this power to empathize with blood and amongst the abilities to feel, see and conquer emotions I met myself again. This Bella was a much different person than the one who had hunted the deer. That one was docile, childlike, and free, whereas now I was a creature of great power and darkness and shackled forever to my hunger for human blood. I could run fast, think fast, and take life…and that was the thing that I was made for. The human cattle that were ahead of me were nothing more than food for my existence. Maybe I would be able to control myself and hold back the other powers if I could reach the people in front of me. I was desperate to feed upon their blood because I knew I could find the real me under all of the pain and power again if I would take their lives.

There was no one to hold me back against my nature now. No voices telling me it was wrong because there was so little left of me that any voice could talk to...once again I had shifted forms and I felt myself growing spurs again out of my shoulders and I looked down to see deadly long claws instead of my stubby fingers. I couldn't even hold my own shape. I was no longer Bella Swan…I was some sick conglomeration of everyone around me. I was almost desperate to be myself once more. I couldn't hold back the snarl of anguish inside of me.

I had to be free! To get out from amongst the crowd that had asserted itself inside my shell which had now warped and changed beyond anyone's recognition. How could it possibly be wrong to take refuge in the blood of the creatures in front of us anyway? Isn't that what we were? Isn't that what we did? We are monsters. Myths and legends that took lives and disappeared back into the darkness. "Stop her! She's out of control!" It was Heidi. I felt a body slam into me with a thunderous noise and a voice that I recognized called softly to me.

"Stop now Bella. Is that really you under there? Don't lose yourself. Think of your family and be calm." I shook my head and looked into Julian's butterscotch eyes. He looked at me pleading. "Don't make me have to hurt you to stop you. If you hunt in Voltera you'll be killed and I won't hesitate to pass judgment. Please don't leave me with that as an alternative. Your family at home would be devastated." I let out a small wail against his chest as I felt Felix pull me up and away from Julian and against his chest into a very protective embrace. I was almost half a mile away from the others when I noticed that some of my powers had subsided with distance. I was relieved, but still overly terrified. Wouldn't it all come back if I got close again? I snarled at Felix when I realized that I could still smell the humans and I might be able to walk amongst my kind with their blood giving me power enough to hold back the tide.

"Bella. PLEASE! They are children…just starting their lives. You don't want to kill children do you?" Edward's voice was back like it had never left.

I whimpered and shook my head violently as I attempted to reign in my desperate feelings of fear and pain. I heard a noise come from my lips that could never have been made by human vocal chords. I looked up at my captor and flashed my teeth at him, but he didn't look even the slightest bit phased by my menace. "Now, let's try this again shall we? Carmen?" Her hands were on my face and she stared unrepentant into my eyes. If I were human Carmen would be able to put me to sleep. I was a vampire now so all I could seem to garner was a hypnogogic state. I could not discern if it was Carmen's sleep or my relief at having back my Edward, but at that moment everything went still and I slumped to the ground.

"Edward…" I mumbled his name and wished he could be there to carry me away from the madness that I could feel reasserting itself every second. I was afraid of myself…of what I was capable of. At first I had thought that my power was very meddlesome and impolite…now I knew how destructive it could be. Would there be a time when I could walk through the hundreds of vampires and take what ability I liked? No wonder Aro thought me special…I could possibly be the most dangerous person walking amongst hundreds. Marcus and Caius both wished to possess me, and now I could see why. I was more than the perfect predator, I was the perfect weapon. "Edward you can't let them take me." I let the words spill from my mouth and I realized I was talking in my "sleep" again.

I felt as if I were floating and I knew that someone was carrying me. Felix. We were boarding a plane and I could feel myself entering the room with Marcus, Caius, Aro, and a few others. The seating was plush and comfortable, beyond first class, it was a private seating section that seemed to be made specifically for the comfort of the creatures around me. Human flight conveniences had been completely removed. Vampires had no need for seatbelts. This would be my first time sitting in such opulence and splendor, but I felt as if my brain were stuffed with cotton and I let out a small whine as I felt the weight of the power again. Carmen was close behind Felix through and as she sat next to me her hand caressed my face and my world was once again foggy and I let out all of the panic and tension and felt myself close my eyes. _'Sleep now, Bella.'_ Edward's whisper was the last voice I heard for the next few hours. Darkness overtook me and I fell into a dream filled sleep.

At first I was dreaming about being in a green field alone with a burning house that seemed slightly familiar…then I was in a car racing down the freeway. I was standing before the ocean as the tide lapped at my feet. Edward was making love to me. It all changed so quickly that I was feeling dizzy with the spinning images. Suddenly it all stopped and I was shocked to find myself staring into the honey gold eyes of my best friend in the darkness…but the difference between this image and all the other ones was that she was just as surprised to see me.

Alice stood with me in a very dark room with no walls and no ceiling. It was like we stood in a void. She looked around as if surprised, excited, and terrified to see me. "Are we dead…because this isn't quite what I was expecting. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because you're here too and that means that I have someone to go with, I've never really liked going new places alone. I'm not really all that excited about dying and I can't imagine how much pain Edward will be in when he finds out that he's lost you again. At least I don't have to tell him because I'm dead too. I don't think I could handle that again. Now that I think about it I've never imagined a world without Jasper I wonder what he would think of this. OH! Not that I want Jasper to die! I just think it will be awfully lonely without him. Not that you aren't good company Bella really because I love you too!" I was too happy to see Alice standing there with me to formulate much on my own, not that I believed she would let me get in a word edgewise anyway. Instead I reached out to her and as I hugged her tightly to me she stroked my hair in a loving fashion. "I missed you. I was so worried. We thought you died…and now that we have shuffled off the mortal coil I'm glad I found you so that you don't have to go alone either."

"Alice you aren't dead. I'm not dead. Well…not in the conventional sense. You're either a dream…" I ventured out loud as I smiled and slowly let go of Alice feeling more comfortable to be in this void.

"Which we don't do as we're vampires and not all that great at sleeping…" She interrupted.

"Or I'm seeing you on some sort of psychic plane. I am asleep by the way." I looked at her hoping to convince myself as well as her that she was here and that it was more than a dream.

"Lucky!" Alice did look a little envious, but only for a second and then it was gone.

"I'm not sure it's luck. I think I went into shock stealing too many abilities at once." I buried my head against her shoulder and she continued stroking my hair.

"Neat. Is that what you do?" She pulled back again and looked excited.

"Unfotunately…Speaking of which…" I started to explain my situation and the fears that I had about her future when she interjected.

"OH! I SEE! Bella's borrowing my mojo. That's why I can't see the future well!" She bounced a couple of times on the balls of her feet. "You're like my little protégé."

"I'm surprised you can see anything at all. Mostly people can't use their power if I am borrowing it. I don't know enough to tell you firm numbers on that." I thought about it for a second and nodded my head as I made a decision about my new ability. "In fact it seems to be more art than science and for a second there I seriously thought I was going to hurt myself…" I looked down almost afraid to continue. Would Alice think less of me if she knew what a feral monster I had just become? "Or more importantly I nearly killed someone else."

"Everyone has their moments Bella. Don't be so hard on yourself. Remember that Edward had his fare share of human victims. I don't care if they were evil…they were people too." I looked away from Alice when she said this. I had always strained against the image of Edward taking lives but the way she said it brought the image into my head with very little preamble. The void shifted and Alice and I watched as Edward drank from the neck of a man who was lying by the body of another. The clothes he wore were from another time and place…but he looked just as comfortable. On the ground there were two smoking guns and the smell of fresh gunpowder in the air. I watched him intently. He was beautiful and terrible all at the same time. No matter what he was doing to me he was perfect. Especially now that I had walked the same road and I knew the same hunger. Despite the scene all around us my sister looked up at me and smiled. "This is really the neatest place I've ever been we should do this again sometime. Where are you?"

"I'm in a jet of some kind flying back to Forks with the Volturi. As to the room, I'm not entirely sure we could repeat this…maybe we can come back again…" I let the sarcasm tinge my tone and rolled my eyes. In that moment it was as if Alice remembered herself and why she believed herself to be here. We watched together as she was overtaken by two large vampires and knocked to the earth. I gasped in fright as I watched one clamp his jaws around Alice's throat. "Oh my GOD! Alice!" She continued watching as Edward and then Jasper came to her rescue. I could immediately tell that this was what had happened before she had arrived and now we were catching up with the reality. Jasper was holding her as if she were the most delicate of creatures and he seemed to be breaking down and falling apart all around Alice's empty body.

"Oh…Jasper…I'm sorry." She looked down and I watched as he tried to get her to respond.

"Alice you're going to be fine. I have to block you out now. I have to get out of here and lock the door on my way out…somehow. It's the only way that you're going to gain full use of your power again." My pixie like sister smiled at my comment and thought for a second.

"What if I made you go?" She looked at me with a smile and I shook my head in confusion. "I have been so keen to see you in my mind I might be the reason you can't turn this off. I might be holding you here against your will. Especially if you say you don't normally share. Part of you still wants to be with me no matter how hard you try to hold me back and I am openly trying to find you. What if I stopped? Maybe we can stop the visions that way." I nodded my head and we both watched as the vision slowed and stopped just as Edward was about to be attacked. He looked as if he had been rooted to the spot in front of me and I watched reality splinter. On one side Alice jumped up and destroyed the attacker and in the other no one was there to save him. I watched in sheer panic as the creature made short work of my love and began throwing his body into the purple jumping flames behind him. I felt a scream leave my lips as Alice literally pushed us away from each other. "I'll go with option number one if you don't mind."

I was falling through the darkness and then there was nothingness again and I was alone. Not in the place I had been…but back into my own head. I would not attempt to use Alice's power again without supervision. I croaked out Edward's name in what I was sure was going to be a scream. When I awoke it was to hear a conversation going on amongst the Volturi, despite my vocalization, and I wondered if I had spoken while I was "asleep." The term sleep really wasn't what I had been doing. It was some kind of advanced form of what Alice did…but I wasn't going to reveal what had just happened to anyone in case I needed to have the secret later. I tuned in to the conversation but kept my eyes tightly closed.

"…is she still sleeping?" It was Aro who had spoken.

"Yes my lord…it seems so." Carmen was still sitting next to me and although I have been told countless times by Edward that vampires could not sleep…I had, for all intents and purposes done the impossible. I was a freak amongst freaks. "May I offer a theory Lord Aro?" Carmen was still letting her fingers stroke my face gently.

"Ha! Of course Carmen, I love a good theory. Besides, until she "get's up" all we can do is guess and I do love these diversions." Aro was absolutely over the moon with all of this. I could hear it in his voice. "This is the most excitement we've had in years isn't it Marcus?"

"Yes." Marcus droned. The sound was still uninterested. It lacked any of the excitement that Aro's held. Moreover it was almost sinister in its quality. It frightened me greatly. What if they had reconsidered my value and thought to keep me no matter the cost to myself or my family?

"I believe that she stole my power and forced herself into a deep trancelike state. Not exactly sleep…more like stasis. Well…what is sleep really? She is recovering from her trauma in a healthy way. I believe that she is going to be fine if not slightly disoriented. This is not normal for our kind…then again…she is so new to her life, she may just take it in stride." Carmen responded as she kissed me on the forehead and backed away from me. From the time that I had awoken I had felt the burn of my thirst…but I could not stand the feeling any longer. I let my eyelids flutter open and looked up at the people around me…and they were quite literally standing over me. Felix, of all of them, had a smile on his face and he ruffled my hair in a familiar way.

"Felix is right! You really are an Angel! Look at how you do things that confound us all. First you come to me as a human loving a vampire, proving to have a love so deep that even Marcus is astounded by its power. Then you become a vampire and prove yourself to be intriguing in that way, ability beyond even your own understanding. Now you are doing things that we would literally…die to do." Aro was sitting very close by and looking at me with wonder in his eyes. "I hope you are well rested."

"I'm feeling better now Aro. I'm a little thirsty." Actually I was lying. I had never felt so empty in all of my existence. It was like my throat was on fire, the venom coating every inch of my parched throat. "It burns a bit."

"Heidi…if you would be so kind as to handle this situation?" Aro questioned. I saw Heidi tear open a bag with her teeth and place the contents into a bowl and then into a small steam cabinet. I could smell the blood over everything else in the room and wanted it so very badly that I was afraid that I would tear across the room and knock Heidi aside to get to it faster…but I controlled myself long enough to hear a timer go off. It had felt like an eternity but suddenly a large ornate cup was being given to me. I had to hold it in two hands to keep a firm grip on it, but I didn't study it; I only wanted what was inside. It was not as filling as I would have hoped and as I passed the chalice back to Heidi I was sure she could see the disappointment on my face. "Poor creature, I don't like to take my blood this way either. When it crystallizes and freezes there are elements of water that are made more pronounced and somehow it makes the blood less powerful. I apologize." Aro smiled comfortingly at me.

Why in the name of Adam was Aro apologizing to me? He had a look on his face that I had seen once before on Charlie as I had graduated from High School. Oooh! I remembered graduating from High School! That was something! The vampire looked to his fellows and they began to break away and lounge in different spots as if he knew that the constant attention was wearing me thin. I found it much easier to concentrate on keeping to myself now that I was "rested" and my thirst was quenched. "Have you all been watching me sleep for…how long was I out?"

"Five hours." Felix nodded his head while he said it. "You have to understand…it's been a long time since any one of us has slept. I agree with Carmen's idea though. You weren't really sleeping…Carmen seems to think that you had folded into your mind so deeply that your higher functions just kind of cut out. It was such a peaceful looking moment in time we wanted to share in it. That and you say the most fascinating things while you sleep." I wanted to thump my head against something hard. It was embarrassing when Edward watched me sleep; it was mortifying when the Volturri did it.

"Please tell me you weren't all just standing there watching me the whole time." I prayed for the answer to be no.

"Don't be ridiculous…that might have been boring. But of course we were trying to replicate the activity." Felix said as if I were stupid. I stared at him dumbfounded probably confirming any beliefs. "Aro saw you doing it and he thought he might be able to try it as well, and once Aro tried everyone else did too. Of course it was a complete failure because it seems that you're just different." He gave me a small smirk.

"Different? Is that another word for someone who's a freak?" I didn't really care about the answer to that question though because I was thoroughly fixated on the outcome of what I had seen with Alice in the void. Had Edward been saved? Would I come back to Forks only to find myself at Edward's funeral? I had no question that there would be a funeral for him…Carlisle would want that. I wasn't really sure what Edward would want other than to hopefully find Heaven, we had never really discussed arrangements for his death. Which was funny since he'd so ardently tried to kill himself only months ago and we had discussed that topic once or twice since then. It would only stand to reason that we would have come to that part of the talk eventually. Sure he would be cremated, because that's the only way he would die…but what would he actually like at his funeral? He would probably be happy if we kept an urn around and thought of him once in a while. I would really only be happy if he was in Heaven. He didn't believe he had earned it, but I knew he had a beautiful soul. I'd seen it in so many ways. I needed a distraction. If I thought about Edward and death anymore I would start to freak out. "Felix…why don't we sleep?" I had addressed the large man in front of me but it was Aro who answered.

The ancient Volturri began, "Ah! A story for the journey, you are quite right, it's been forever since I told a story. I would love to tell you how it is we came to be! For one story is part of the other…as these things tend to be." Caius and Marcus looked strangely content to allow this next distraction. They leaned back and watched for Aro to continue. Most of the Volturri came to sit amongst us and I was strongly reminded of another story. I saw flames and heard the ocean as a group of figures sat around and laughed with one another. It was Jacob and the other werewolves in La Push. The wolves had allowed me to hear the story of their past. I remembered it despite my Swiss-like memory. Now I was going to learn another centuries old story about how another kind of creature came to be. I wondered if Edward and Carlisle knew this story. If they did they had never spoken of it, at least I didn't remember them speaking of it. Sometimes these two things were distinguishing ideas now that my memory was faulty.

Heidi handed the chalice back to me and I drank deeply once again of the deep red liquid. This time I felt more sated, but as I handed the cup back once more to the woman without the intention of telling her to get more I looked up into her eyes and she sighed and headed once again to the steam tray to fill another bowl. Obviously my eyes were telling the story of my hunger much better than I would allow myself to. Apparently after years of not caring much about food I was going to be ultra needy with blood. Blood was my new vice. Great. I rolled my eyes at the idea almost sure that my brothers would make fun of my new appetite.

Aro sat back and motioned for the lights to be lowered. The darkness of the cabin added to the "warmth" of the atmosphere. He began to tell the story and I couldn't help but be absorbed by the tone of his lyrical voice. "The story of our creation begins at the same time as that of man. In the beginning God made light and darkness. He made the earth and the seas. They were filled with life and He saw that it was good. Lucifer, the bringer of light, was cast into the seas of darkness and so was born true good and evil. However there is a story that few know…that of our kind. God made man in his image and Adam was formed from the clay of the earth and given free will. When He finished creating man He too created woman in the same fashion. He created her from the clay of the earth in His image, giving her free will, and He called her Lillith. She had skin that was perfect and smooth and olive and hair as dark as pitch. She was very beautiful and Adam was content with the gift that God had made for him."

Heidi had handed me the cup once again and I drank until it was empty one last time and I finally felt sated. It left my mind more clear for thoughts. I had never heard such a thing before…whatever happened to Adam and Eve? This was the kind of revelation that I had been searching for before I had died. Perhaps the answer to Edward's question was somewhere inside this story. He had always questioned the presence of our souls. He had initially barred me from a future with him because he believed that my soul would be forfeit if I were to join him in his endless life. I could not imagine coming to him with the news that we were to be damned…if it were bad news I just wouldn't tell him. I could stand with him and pretend I didn't know anything. Keeping secrets wasn't exactly my forte though especially if he asked me and I was forced to lie. I was probably still a horrible liar; my only advantage now was that he couldn't hear my heartbeat giving me away. Aro was continuing with the story and I immediately tuned back in.

Aro continued, "God told them to be fruitful and multiply but he had not been prepared for Lillith's spirit. She told him that she would not be with Adam…that he was not the one she wanted and she refused to lay with the husband that God had made her for. She turned her nose up at God's gift and refused to bed her intended mate. When this happened God cast her out of the Garden of Eden. Though to this day I can't possibly see how someone can be faulted for having taste…" He smiled at me and I was further intrigued. So she had been thrown out of paradise because she didn't fall in love? God was the one who had given her free will after all…it seemed a little wrong, but who was I to judge such a thing? Aro turned back toward the group and continued, "So, after such a failed first attempt God created Adam another mate in Eve. This time he took a rib from Adam's body binding her to him so that she would have the illusion of free will. At the same time the predilection to be with him was extremely strong as she had been a part of him at one time and her body would long to be joined again with his. In the meanwhile Lillith wandered the wilderness of the world.

I tried to picture the lone woman going from endless empty forest to empty forest and I immediately felt bad for her. Sure she had defied God…but at the same time it seemed a little harsh for her to be so lonely and far away from anyone living to talk with.

I wanted to ask Aro more about her travels, but I wasn't sure how to ask…or if he even knew. Were there other people in the world at all? Why didn't she just stay close to the Garden and wait for things to calm down? Why all the wandering and he had said she was a woman…how did this translate into what we were? I tried to picture myself as the olive skinned beauty that had been thrown out of the Garden of Eden to face the world completely alone…it would be rough.

"As she went from place to place she began to eat of the flesh of the animals which was forbidden in the Garden by God. She grew strong from the meat of God's creatures and she still indulged in the fruits of the trees forsaking only that fruit of the tree of knowledge. I imagine she didn't want to push her luck. After a time Lillith was noticed by Lucifer, God's fallen angel, and he came to her in the forest. "Why have you left God's Garden child?" He asked her in a sweet voice. He had hoped that he would catch the man creatures unawares, looking to create mischief. "I have been cast out of the Garden for my willfulness." She said to Lucifer with a sorrowful eye and turned her head away. "You are one of his angels…have you been sent to destroy me?" He noticed her long alabaster hair, caramel skin, and dark eyes and she was, in her human way, very beautiful…even to the fallen angel. God had thrown her out of Eden as Lucifer had been cast out of Heaven. He took pity on the woman creature for he too had been cast away by God. "Here, eat of the fruit of knowledge…it will give you the strength to continue. You will know how to take care of yourself and you will not have to wander the earth aimlessly but have a hearth and home to reside in." And she did, and she gained all of the knowledge that God had placed inside the fruit. He watched as Lillith gained her independence and he was proud of the help he had given, especially since his meddling would spite God.

"With that small gift Lillith learned many things, she became ashamed of her nakedness and learned the skills of the loom, to till the soil, but God did not bless Lillith and her crops were not plentiful. She was forced to continue feasting on the flesh of the animals and before long she made them her own and raised them by her care. It was a long time before Lillith met the one who was intended for her, and he was Cain. Cain had been too cast out and he and Lillith came to spawn many children, and their children begat many children also, and in turn a mighty city sprung forth, and that city would over time come to be called Enoch. The people were not blessed by God's hand but they were content to build their city. All the time they were visited by the Light Bringer Lucifer, for he had adopted Lillith and her children as his own in the absence of God."

I had always been under the impression that Satan was the bad guy…I was really wondering when the other shoe would drop. I could see how he would enjoy the praise of Lillith's people. He had been thrown out of Heaven for trying to make himself equal to God…I remembered that from the stories I had heard from the Bible. Why would he help Lillith other than to help himself? I would have been worried if I were her. This sort of thing never goes well…I waited for the other shoe as Aro continued his story.

Aro began again, "God was not blind to the happenings in the city of Enoch, and he watched them worshiping not only God, but his fallen angel as well, and God was angered. He sent his angels to destroy the city and salt the land so that none could rebuild upon it and he destroyed all of the people in the city walls. All in the end died but Lillith, she had been tending her animals in the fields far from the city that day. God had planned to spare his first child, but to teach her a lesson about fealty. However, when she returned she was truly devastated by what she found, and instead of praising God for letting her live she cursed him. God had destroyed her city and her sons and daughters. Lillith cursed God and cried and pulled at her hair and mourned for her husband who was naught but ash on the ground. Even as she began a ritual of a fatted calf to her patron Lucifer, God heard her curses and he was saddened by her lack of faith.

"It was then that God cursed Lillith. He said to her: "I have let you wander the world of my creation and to enjoy the pleasures of life and the flesh. You refused to lay with Adam who was made in My image and you were cast out of Eden for your petulance. I allowed you Cain because man cannot walk his burden alone he must have a mate. When you knew that it was wrong to do so, you ate of the flesh of the animals and I did not punish you for it because I was benevolent and you were my child. The fruit borne of the tree of knowledge has filled you with its sweet comprehension. You have done rituals in the name of one of my creations and I finally see that you will never bend to my will. You will become a monster of the world. You will walk amongst the men and women but you will not be one of them. You will be barren as the salted ground beneath your feet…never again to be ripe with child. When you eat, the food will taste of sawdust and bring you no joy. An abomination to the world you will know no rest and no heart will beat in your chest, and in the end you will be judged just as the daughters and sons of Adam but you will not know death in their way. Your skin will be like the ashes of the destroyed city so that you will always remember your sin. Your eyes will be as red as the blood of the calf that you have offered up to my fallen angel. Go now into the world and wander endlessly until you have learned to be humble in the gifts you were given."

Now I could see the parallels…but she wasn't a vampire…she was simply cursed. Deep inside I already knew that the shoe was about to drop on poor Lillith. She had so far been through more than any one woman should have to endure, and I understood how she must have felt when God destroyed her husband. If I had lost Edward I would not have simply thanked God and moved on.

Aro spoke, "Lillith left Enoch with sorrow in her heart. God had made her skin as white as ash and her eyes as red as the blood of the calf. There were none on the face of the earth that would have her in their presence for they could distinguish the mark of her Sin. She did not need to eat and her body was constantly hungry but water did not slake her thirst and food would not fill her body. She was filled with despair to be without Cain and her children and to be cursed by God. Lillith was repentant of her sins, and she begged daily for God to forgive her. For twelve days and twelve nights she made offerings to God until her beloved flock was almost gone and still He showed her no mercy.

"On the thirteenth day she came across a serpent and she lay down next to it hoping its toxin would bring her death. When the asp struck she did not die but was filled with its venom and she was surprised to find herself strong again…stronger than she had ever been, but the alter where she had slaughtered the animals had a strong fascination. She fell upon the calf she had intended for sacrifice that night and she drank deeply of its blood and knew peace from hunger. The asp took on the form of Lucifer and he explained what he had done. "I will give you power over God's men, to be his shepherd, and your poison will bind him so that you may feast upon him. The blood of God's creatures will end your hunger and you will sparkle in the light that God has made so that all will know you as their master. You will be invincible like the stones and only you will be able to pass judgment upon your brothers and sisters because your skin will be impervious to harm." Lillith gasped and cried against the "gifts" that Lucifer had bestowed upon her.

"Lillith did not show joy in her gifts granted by God's fallen one. "God will call me an abomination and will never forgive me. I was content to call upon his mercy. Now he will despise me." She felt the deepest of grief and was troubled when tears could not fall from her eyes. "Get from my sight fallen angel…I want not this burden of power!" She fell to the ground in her grief. For three days she lay upon the ground feeling the pain of her sorrow and the grief of her existence. On the third day Lillith began her journey out of the forests of God's country and into the unknown forests of the world. She would not give in to her desire to hunt of the blood of man, and Satan would no longer be her patron for she had learned the lessons of his treachery. She hunted the creatures of the forest much as she had done in the time after her banishment, only now it was their blood, not their flesh that she devoured. In that way Lillith lived for many scores of years.

"God saw what Satan had done to Lillith and took pity upon her once more. She was still making daily offerings and begging for God's mercy despite her proclivities. She was a creature of darkness, but He would allow his first daughter to suffer no longer. God spoke to his daughter once more, "Lillith, I have watched over you even as my fallen angel has corrupted you. You were right to spurn his gifts and so I will grant you a gift of my own." He called up the spirit of her earthly bound husband and reanimated the earth of his flesh and the quickness of his blood. "You will be bound to the earth and although you will not be human you will know the company of your husband." Cain walked again before Lillith, but before she could even grant God her thanks Satan was there with her in the forest and he spilled Cain's blood. "Come and destroy that which you love dear Lillith and know the pain of turning your back on Satan." Lillith was unable to stop herself from feasting upon the lifeblood of her love. The draw was too strong, for they were soul mated and La Tua Cantante was upon her blood hazed mind. When she had all but drank her husband the realization of what Lucifer had done was upon her as well. Tears of blood dripped from her eyes and she cursed Satan for his duplicity whilst at the same time she reveled in the dark release of man's blood for she was a creature of darkness. She cried out to God to end her life and take her soul unto Heaven.

"God was displeased with the creature of darkness before him, but he did not blame or punish her for Satan's trick. She was no longer human, especially now that she had feasted upon human blood and thereby breaking the covenant of God and Man. She was a slave to her hunger and did not hold back against the evil that was in her nature to do, but God saw the pain in her heart and the knowledge of her Sin. "I will grant you two more gifts so that you may be healed of your pain. You must continue your boundless life here on earth. Part of your soul still belongs to Lucifer and I cannot take you from him, but I still hold half of your soul in my hand daughter. I will show you the mercy that you deserve in keeping your faith even when you were cursed these hundreds of days in the wilderness."

God pointed down to Lillith and she was brought to her knees in supplication. "Those of your kind will have power beyond that of men, but you must hide what you are from them lest I give them the power to destroy you. You Lillith, shall have a gift that you can use to bring rest and comfort to those in need. I grant you this to ease the transformation of your children, for you shall indeed add to your number using the venom in your body. Cain will walk beside you again as your equal, for as I have said before, no creature should be alone and I have promised him to you. You have yet left some life in him and your venom will replace his blood, and he shall be yours. As I have made two of everything else, so shall I make two of you, but the pain of becoming inhuman shall be great to remind you of its Sin. In honor of the three days you spent outside of the city of Enoch the transformation shall too take three days. You shall walk the Earth as a culler of the herd…but one who shall know me despite wearing the mark of your curse. It is my hope that you will be the one to stop those who are called on by Satan to do evil as he has done unto you. I have given you free will, and I will not take it away. Do only justice and no harm will come unto your people. Your worth will be judged just as any whom walks the earth, and your decisions here shall too decide your fate. The only commandments that I give unto you are your unfailing devotion and that you shall walk among them without glory. It is your place to live in the shadows of the men of the world. Go now…and live amongst the creatures of the world as I have commanded."

If this were true…If this was the story of our mutual turning, Edward would have his day of judgment. It was not a promise of heaven…but still the shining hope of it. Carlisle had been right. If I could have cried with relief I would have sobbed. I had not even begun to contemplate my own soul and what my "death" meant to me, but I had always told Edward that I could not believe anyone like him could be left to the fires of Hell, and now I was more certain than ever that this was the case. Certainly God would have mercy on Edward if he had only taken the lives of pure sinners…bad people. It gave me something to hope for, and that was more than enough for me as a starting off point. Obviously the Volturri had a very open ended version of what evil was…I remembered the woman with the rosary and shuddered to think of the future of the souls of the vampires that sat amongst me.

"Lillith and Cain went into the world and as time went on they created more children like themselves. They roamed the earth and drank from the blood of men, and with each generation of new vampire came new gifts to keep their numbers strong. We remained a secret unto the world of man as God commanded and eventually we became the stuff of legend, as too did Cain and Lillith although it is said that they wander the earth still to pass judgment upon their own kind." Here Aro looked at me with a knowing smile and I wondered silently if Cain and Lillith did walk amongst us…the oldest of creatures with skin like the three of the oldest among us, or milky eyes like Aro. I didn't want to believe that there could be any other interpretations of this story, but I was almost afraid to ask him if he was certain of this tale of our creation.

"Aro…have you ever met Lillith?" I let the question fall into the silent room and I felt like I had probably broken another taboo by talking before Aro had released the room.

"So full of questions…children are. Full of childish wonder! HA!" He nodded with good nature and the room burst into a comfortable laughter at my "childish wonder." "If you must know, I have known her…but it has been a long time since our last meeting, and I do not know if she is alive now. I think there is a very good chance of it. She was always very spry."

"So all of that is true?" I wanted it to be. It gave Edward his chance at Heaven…not to mention my own now that he and I were alike.

"It is true for me." Aro answered back, and the answer confused me. One of the vampires that I wasn't acquainted with walked over to Aro from another compartment and began to speak in rapid Italian. I didn't speak it so I waited to hear whatever news might have just been given. I would have held my breath, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

I felt a shift in the pressure of air in the cabin and I felt us beginning our descent. I looked throughout the room and there were nodding heads and Carmen sat next to me and I felt another wave of lethargy come over me. I didn't want to jump around even after hours of sitting. As a vampire my muscles never got stiff because they were that way constantly. "We are going to refuel here in New York. We will not leave the plane. Time is of the essence as I believe that Jane and her people have already begun the first stage of their plans. Demetri informs us that the Cullens and a group of wolves were engaged in a clearing in Forks. Jane was under the impression that it would only take a group of seventy newborns to remove the Cullen family as a threat. They were apparently wrong." Aro laughed at Jane's failure as he spoke.

I sprung to my feet immediately and I felt the comforting lethargy fall away. I paced back and forth like a caged animal. The desire to run filled my senses. I felt the yawning ledge of madness creeping up and I closed my body and mind to the powers of the others around me. Marcus was watching me with a very amused look on his face, as if I had just done something amazing for him. I comprehended that he was now talking to Caius in Italian, because now they knew I couldn't speak it, and they were both very pleased. I realized only too late that I had shown them an example of control over my power and I was personally stunned that I had done it myself. I had walked away from Carmen and held my constitution alone despite however many vampires might be nearby. It was dangerous for them to think I was a commodity, and so I tried to look even more stressed out…which wasn't hard considering what I had just heard. I slumped down next to Carmen and tried to look as if she were helping. I was still a horrible actress apparently because Cauius rolled his eyes at my attempts.

The plane landed very smoothly but I hardly cared how bumpy my ride was at the moment. It felt like my situation had reversed itself. This time my heart was at home and I was in a race to return to it. Who knew what had happened since the vision I had shared with Alice. I shuddered at the graphic death I had seen Edward fall to if Alice were incapable of removing me from her power. It was hard to believe that my family had already fought with Jane's Volturri and won! This was good news…but at what cost? How could they have defeated them so quickly if the Volturri themselves believed they needed an army? I looked at Aro and asked the only question that was on my mind. "Was anyone hurt? Is it over?"

"There were casualties amongst the dogs…but there is nothing to indicate that any of the Cullen Family has suffered from more than the bother of having to meet the challenge. I knew that they would fail to harm them using a secondary force. Jane and those that were with her did not meet them in battle. She used a small group from the South of your continent. It was a good way to gauge the abilities of her competition, but I fear that the actual fight will not be as positive without our aid. I am especially curious about the werewolves Bella. Why do the mongrels fight beside your family?" I didn't want to discuss Sam's pack with Aro. It was not my secret, but if they were to be trusted and remain alive when the Volturi came I would need to tell him something. I was horrified by what Aro had said. What if someone had died? What if it was Jacob? The thought made me want to curl up and die. How would I handle it? I still loved Jacob despite what had happened to me, and I had the strange feeling that he would feel the same way. I already felt like a traitor to his friendship in so many ways…including forgetting him when I woke to this life. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to defend him and his friends…and what could I possibly say to protect them from the Volturi?

"The wolves are my friends." It came out of my mouth before I could think about the answer further. I almost cursed aloud when I realized what I had done, but the moment couldn't be reversed. The whole room seemed to pause and eyes darted back and forth between the three leaders and myself and the others in the cabin. "Is that going to be a problem?" I had given them unwanted leverage against me once again.

"No Bella dear, of course not. I just wanted to see where their allegiances were before I made any further plans. It's very unusual to have a pack of wolves doing anything but tearing vampires into tiny bite size pieces. It will be refreshing to meet these legendary monsters in a positive light." Aro smiled serenely as he spoke. Everyone looked at Aro as though they thought he'd lost his mind and then at me as if I'd caused the madness. I decided now might be a good time to practice being innocuous. I looked at Heidi and actually asked her for something for the first time.

"Can I have a book?" She looked at me and smiled.

"We have a few moments I can get you a few." She looked over at the three heads of the Volturi and they waved her on. She took off at vampire speed and I wondered where she would go to get it and what she was going to bring. She didn't ask what I wanted to read. I waited in the awkward silence of the room as everyone sat still and quiet. It was unnerving to be part of this pause in time. I couldn't imagine Edward and his family sitting in this kind of endless silence. What were they all thinking? Why were they so content to sit like statues and wait for me to move or say anything? Were they waiting for me to say more about the wolves? If they were, it would be a very long time in coming. I would betray them no further. It was at that moment that two people threw shadows from the doorway into the room. One was the vampire from earlier. I finally figured out that his name was Freiderick, as the Italian was starting to make a bit of sense now that I had heard a few conversations. I assumed that he was telling them that they were ready to continue since Aro seemed pleased and for once I had nothing to do with it.

Heidi was back with my book…or should I say books, because she had a stack of at least three, and one she seemed to be hiding. She motioned for me to come closer and I excused myself from the vampires that seemed content to sit in stillness. We sat in a small grouping of chairs at the back of the cabin. She held up the stack and showed me each book. "I picked up a few classics…I wasn't sure what you were into."

"I would have gotten more specific for you if you'd asked." I was a little annoyed that she hadn't bothered to find out what I would like.

"Dickens! Best of times, worst of times!" She showed me a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities." The next book was a small blue soft cover. "Kipling, he was a bit of a jerk, but there you go. Poetry." She smiled and pointed to the next book, Pride and Prejudice, "Austin…She was always a favorite author of mine. My family was very against her characters at the time when it was written, but I was rebellious and I read it anyway." I had no idea that Heidi was that old. She didn't seem like an older vampire, but maybe that's how she got through the day. When she handed the book over she looked at me with raised eyebrows and rolled her eyes back toward the group behind her, she was obviously intending to sit with her back to them on purpose. She handed over the last book with the other book inside of it and she opened it as if she were showing me the page and quoting Elizabeth. "I am no longer surprised at you knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any. I never saw such a woman…" Hidden inside was a Fodor's Italian phrasebook. She gave me a quick slight confidential smile before getting up and walking back to the group. "I've always loved a little satire."

Everyone had an agenda, but at least it was acting in my favor this time. The Volturri were beginning to plan and they were going to do it in Italian to keep me out, but thanks to Heidi I could follow along if I learned it fast enough. I had taken two years of Spanish and I had noticed right away that there were similarities, but I'd never been much of a linguist when I was in school. Edward was tutoring me in Spanish and of course he just HAD to speak like a native. It was very sexy. I had a flash of a memory. Edward and I in class together, the teacher who was like a faceless dark image was commenting that he had a very thick South American accent, and Edward had winked at me and said that he had been there recently for what felt like forever and it had rubbed off on him. Another vision…much more dark because it had not been something I'd experienced but something that I had heard about was an image of Edward huddled against pain in a dark crawlspace listening to voices who were probably speaking Spanish waiting for any news of Victoria.

We had broken each other very badly in the past, and if we survived this there would be more repairs necessary. In the dim room I imagined Edward sitting next to me and holding me against my fear and teaching me Italian. I looked forward to having him read to me in the language now that I understood it…I could only imagine his voice reading me sonnets in such an erotic language, because after hearing the lilting tones and undercurrents of Aro's speech I could see how someone would be very entranced by such an enticing language. Edward didn't listen to a lot of Opera, but the only ones I remembered him listening to were in Italian. I had told him at the time that I didn't like Opera…now that I understood what they were saying I decided to give it another look. No wonder he'd said it was scintillating!

There were times that I realized that Edward had a very unusual set of tastes when it came to sensual content. For instance…me, but that was not his only unusual love. He enjoyed eroticism, there was no question of that; I knew that on a personal level. It wasn't like we were being chaste out of personal preference. We had both wanted more intimacy. When I really thought about Edward and his sexuality I decided that he chose to be very discreet. What would you call that? Someone in my past had said all men were perverts…would that make Edward a high brow pervert? Of course with how long he'd been a virgin I could understand why. Why torture yourself with blatant images when there were more creative ways to cause the same reaction with a bit of class. He was bombarded with enough graphic imagery from his ability to read minds that I was positive that he probably didn't find those kinds of things very sexy anymore. I imagined myself speaking to Edward in the tongue of Voltera while he made love to me and I knew that I would have been bright red if anyone could read my thoughts at the moment.

For the sake of my sanity I went through the Italian reader first. It wasn't long before each phrase in the general conversation was making sense. The things they said were becoming clearer and clearer the farther through the book I went, and when I was three fourths of the way through I could apply myself to the language since I was hearing the lilting accent all around me. So far they had discussed the reasoning behind Jane and Alec's defection, a story I already knew, and that was fortunate, because they had started there and I could just translate the Italian poorly at first. It was essentially the same story. I understood now why Aro had told the first story we had heard. Now our mission was about more than the Volturri, it was an edict from God that would end in our destruction if we didn't stop them. I wasn't sure whether to be skeptical or not. I had never been an extremely devout Christian. I believed in God and the Devil and Heaven and Hell, but I couldn't tell you too much more than that. I have never really had to worry about it until then.

Marcus was discussing the importance of anonymity when I realized that there was one very large problem. The plane was filled to capacity with vampires. They had to feed. Why had they brought so many of their number if it was only ten or so defected Volturri? It was then that I heard him say what I had feared the most. "We are looking at a group of trained and untrained vampires…probably at least two hundred in number. Demitri seemed to think that it would not be long until they go to destroy the Cullen family in person. They will not allow them time to recuperate from the last battle. The very last thing that our young charges will want is a fair fight. Right now they are biding their time in the Olympic National Forest, but they are probably ready to mobilize whenever they get it in their head to go. I have heard reports from Voltera that they have traveled North into the Makah Indian Reservation and hunted the humans there. If indeed our intelligence is correct and our Angel's friends are from the Indian Reservation by Forks they will be made aware of this situation soon." That comment garnered a small snicker from most of the people present. I thought of all of the people that I already knew who had families at the Makah Reservation and wished I could cry. How dare they take joy in suffering? Then I remembered my bloodlust earlier and how I had been ready to kill the six teenagers at the airport. I was no better than any of them.

He continued to speak in Italian, but now that I had the grasp of what he was saying I almost wished I could take the knowledge back. "Right now I believe that it will be most expeditious to land in Port Angeles at the William R. Fairchild International Airport and go forth from there. The Forks Airport is not nearly large enough to accommodate our craft, single engine and small passenger jets only. We will travel under the cover of the forest and follow the 101 highway to our destination. It is the shortest distance between the two points. It will unfortunately put us dangerously close to our quarry. I would rather we have the element of surprise, but since they have ranged back and forth between the three cities I cannot guess at their current location. At this point they have no idea that we know they are mechanizing an army and that we have come to destroy them. I would like to keep it that way until it's too late." Marcus had a very dangerous smile on his lips, as if the things he said gave him great pleasure, prices paid, the ultimate strategy.

A woman that I didn't know asked them the question I had been dreading most of all. "What will happen to the people in Forks and the surrounding areas?"

Here Aro glanced at me surreptitiously and then back at the woman as if to make sure I was still unable to understand. "My dear Xian…I told you before that there would be no survivors. I included the humans amongst the casualties. Someone is bound to see or hear something by the time we are finished. We must exterminate the area." I felt myself shudder with fear. I couldn't allow this to happen. They were planning to kill Charlie! He had said that Charlie would be fine! My mother…what if she was still there? She would perish as well. I couldn't stand it. Aro had lied to me…no, he had omitted. I was forgetting the slant of politics again. Heidi looked up at me thought her eyelashes and I could tell that she could see the slight panic on my face. She shook her head and I tried to school my face into something more bored.

"What if we were to create a disaster? That might work better than having to deal with the hundreds of humans we would have to destroy." I wanted to hug Heidi. She had made a brilliant suggestion.

"Indeed. However, I fail to see how we could create a diversion that large, get the people to move, and the timetable is ridiculous." Felix backed up Aro, Marcus and, Caius. I wasn't sure where the conversation would go.

"Was not Bella's father an Officer of the law? Let her get him to evacuate them." Heidi was sure of herself now, and I hoped that she could sway them. I had no problem getting Charlie to evacuate my hometown if it saved their lives.

"You are correct of course my dear, but how would you have them moved?" Caius seemed skeptical as he said this.

"We could pretend there is a chemical spill that is hazardous when taken in by breathing. That would cover a fast evacuation, and it would control the direction of the evacuation." Carmen had said this in very hushed tones. She was right the 101 only went North and South through Forks, and as long as they closed off the other roads the people might be safe from the other vampires as well.

EXCELLENT! HA! Carmen you are such a gift! Not to mention that you are right. Call up the CDC and let our contact know that this is the situation. We should be able to evacuate the city…although it does leave us with the question of what we can eat…" Aro was giddy again with excitement. It was as if everything he did had a new element of joy. Including and up to killing my human family.

"Well…now that that is sorted. Bella?" He had switched back into English when he addressed me. My face snapped up and looked into his milky red eyes, "I believe the only remaining problem is the one where you've never fought another vampire. Felix…please attack your Angel." It was seconds between the statement and the reality. One moment everything was calm and then suddenly a vicious, snarling Felix was in my face and I prayed to God himself that this was something I could do on instinct.


	12. Disturbing Visions

Escaping Sol

Disturbing Visions

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

I took the time out of my schedule to write a little smut, but I'm back on the horse now, and feeling refreshed.

For those of you that didn't guess…and someone pointed it out o- the smutlett I wrote "Quick Decisions" was what occurred the day before Bella was whisked away on her whirlwind trip. Poor Edward! Never parted huh? I must be all sorts of EVIL.

I can't tell all of you how much I appreciate the reviews and the support you've given me. For those of you that added me to updates and made me a favorite author I'm incredibly honored. Please feel free to PM me any time with questions or comments. I'm writing this story to broaden my horizons as a writer, but also to make people happy. It makes me smile when I see that people are actually still reading this!

I now have two small personal fic challenges for myself along with a third that was asked for by one of my readers. She wanted to see the conversation between Renee and "the individual" that spilled the beans on the vampire thing. I also want to write that. It's a story that kind of needs to be told anyway right: ) I wouldn't want that left in the dark. The other one is the Alice/Jasper scene that Edward walks in on them in his bathroom. The final one is a stand alone like my yogurt story but a bit more risqué. It's kind of original in so far as I haven't seen anything like it around here. We'll see what you think when I release it.

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EPOV:

I stood there with Jacob and Leah for the longest moments. The darkness around us was lifting; becoming light, but the fire leapt with purple flames and cast an eerie light that added to the horror of Leah's news. Sam had been married for only a little over one month, and Emily was pregnant. Sam would never know the joy of seeing his wife heavy with his child…would never be able to hold the future of his life in his hands. I had said that Sam was a good man, and I had meant it. Despite what the wolves were to us, and despite our natural differences I felt pity for the families that had lost sons and daughters and now…fathers. Leah looked into Jacob's eyes with fear and pain, not for herself, but her cousin. Jacob just put his arms around Leah and hugged her. Their minds were quiet. The new pack leader didn't make any other moves and was stoic. He stood with his arms tightly wound around her body until she started to shake with unrestrained sobs. Esme had walked over with her hand delicately placed over her mouth in shock. She had heard Leah's news as well and she put her hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head at my mother's acknowledgement of the situation. What was there for us to say? Would they even want our comfort? We were not members of Sam's pack. For all intents and purposes we were still their enemy in the broadest sense of the word. We had no way of helping them.

I turned from them and walked back through the smoke as Maria's group tended the flames. It was then that I concentrated on Maria. She was smallish and dark for our kind. She directed her people like troops on a battlefield at all times. Nothing she said to any one of the remaining six vampires she had with her was a suggestion or an endearment. She spoke in orders. I tried to imagine Jasper with her, beside her, and I could hardly do it. I couldn't help wondering what Alice had done to make him so much easier around others. I didn't think that Maria's way of life would lead to interpersonal relationships, and despite Jasper's frequent slips and scrapes with our way of life he wasn't a hard individual. He laughed easily with our family. Maybe Alice was his smile.

Her thoughts were simply focused on the task of controlling the flames and getting the last of her people under control, and just when I thought I would never hear anything of use her mind went beyond her work, _'I have to get back to Texas, the timing is perfect. These vampires have done half of the work for me already, everyone is out of Dodge. Jasper looks well; I think their strange lifestyle might suit him. Humans were starting to make him moody. Hell, everything was making him moody .That Alice can have him. It keeps me from having to defend my territory from such an aggressive force. Jasper would be one hell of a thorn in my side if he decided to return. So much land all at my disposal and all I have to do is get out of here before the coming shit-storm.' _That comment had me worried. What was going to happen next? Maybe she was talking about the Volturri. Her mind had gone to them earlier; maybe she knew they were on their way. Still, we had no idea why they had attacked and I was about to question Maria when another voice made itself prominent in my head.

Jacob's mind, which had been momentarily silent, talked to me in my head. _'I know you can hear me…I'm not sure how this situation is going to go on. We need to regroup. Figure out if there is more to come or if that was it. Those weren't the vamps that killed Bella. We still have work to do." I wanted to tell him the revelation we had received from the phone call at Charlie's house, but I wasn't sure he would consider it "good" news. Jacob continued to talk, "I need to get out…run…and then tell Emily about Sam. I can't let the pack see me weak, but I have to break down for a second. I already told Leah that no one is allowed to make the change unless it's an emergency, it'll give me the five minutes I need to grieve. No one should have the burden to tell Emily but me. Maybe I'll go to Emily first._

I went to look for Sam's body and quickly realized that somehow in all of the commotion Rosalie and Emmett and perhaps even Alice and Jasper had probably taken them back to La Push already, because the bodies were all gone, and Emmett was walking out of the woods coming from the direction of the Reservation.

Jacob continued to speak in his mind and I saw him out of the corner of my eye, not as a man, but a wolf, entering the forest on the far side of the clearing._' Either way, I saw you coming to stop her from telling me about Sam's kid. I appreciate what you tried to do just now. I don't need anyone to take care of me though. I don't need a vampire to baby-sit me. I'm going to have to stand on my own…especially if I'm going to lead them. I'm glad Sam took that responsibility for as long as he could. He gave me time to be a kid for a little longer, and to hide from my responsibilities. I should have known it would eventually come to claim me.'_

I silently agreed. Fate was something that was undeniable. Unfortunately this time it came with loss. We would need to speak to the pack at length about the things we had learned once we spoke with Maria, and to tell Jacob about Bella. I noticed that the ambulance was driving away with either Rosalie or Carlisle at the wheel and I looked over my shoulder to see Emmett walking toward me favoring his arm. I had to ask him about the fallen wolf boys first. It was only right that I make sure that none of them had been wrongfully taken by some other third party in the confusion. "Did you take the dead back to their homes?"

"Yeah, although they insisted on keeping the bodies at the lodge until Jacob returns…Apparently he needs to do some kind of ceremony. I feel bad for him. Do you think he's ready for all that? He is just a kid no matter how old his body might be." Emmett asked as looked to me with concern. _'Do you think he'll turn on us if he finds out about Bella?'_

"No. I don't think that's going to happen. He'll be angry perhaps but what is done is done. He can't make her human again any more than I can." I looked to the ground and then back up at my brother, but I couldn't wipe the mask of grief off of my face.

Emmett placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze before continuing his thoughts. _'There are worse things than her being like us. She still loves you right? You still love her? Now you have an eternity to share that, and you don't have the burden of guilt for having to turn her. I know your sadistic streak begged for that to be you, but on some level you must be relieved? Now you won't have to find the strength to keep yourself from killing her.' _

I was surprised that some part of me was actually relieved just as Emmett had said, and then another part of me railed against the concept of anyone having their essence flowing through her. I wanted to be a part of her, inside and out. I thought about Bella's blood flowing like a river down my throat binding her forever to me in the sense that she was flowing into me and my venom flowing into her marking her as mine. It was not just my vanity although that was part of it. It was symbolic of who we were to each other, not to mention that the very idea of us sharing such a bond was erotic. It was not to be though.

Before I got any further in my musingsEmmett continued out loud, "This looks like its back on right…but I want you to look at it. Carlisle was too busy, and I'm not asking Rosie because she's already touchy about it." He rotated the limb that he had recently lost and held the shoulder. I checked it noticing the pucker of skin that would eventually fade until it was nothing. I held my hand to the shoulder as he continued to roll it. I nodded my head.

"Everything feels right. Just keep moving it and the detachment shouldn't cause you any trouble. It looks mostly healed. Did Rosalie have a heart attack?" He nodded his head and began to walk off as I snickered.

Emmett laughed out a response, "Yep! She was horrified that I was losing my bits and pieces. She's going to reward me for living by giving me a tour of the bedroom though, so I can't complain. On some level she knows we're detachable, but it still made her pretty upset. I'll have to "comfort" her for a while." Emmett looked over his shoulder at me with a huge smile on his face and he wiggled his eyebrows.

"The lot of you are a bunch of sex maniacs." I rolled my eyes at my brother.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it…and since it's come to Alice's attention that you're going to be doing it soon…I'll get back to you on that." Emmett's tone was suggestive to his desire for me to share with him. He honestly thought I would talk openly about anything I would do in my bedroom? Had we honestly lived in the same house for the last fifty years? _'I promise not to make fun of you...much.'_

"I'm not going to be having an open dialog with you about any of my physical activities with my wife Emmett, you'll just have to make assertions the same way everyone in the rest of the house does. Go with what you hear and then gossip." I assured him with a very wicked grin.

"I'm not one to hear and tell Edward!" He turned around and shrugged.

"Yes, and that's why you torture me with the many faces of you and my sister in the throws of passion?" I let my voice carry my disbelief.

"I'm just watching what I want to see behind my eyelids, if you happen to be tuning in and eavesdropping it isn't my fault." Emmett scolded.

"Certainly not, please excuse my rudeness." My voice was dripping with sarcasm. He and my other siblings were constantly using their sexual escapades to drive me from their heads. They knew it worked, showing me things that I didn't want to see, I had evidence to the contrary about his statement though, "And the time just two weeks ago with Jasper and Alice in my bathroom? What of that? You seemed more than happy to discuss that with everyone within earshot."

Emmett simply shrugged his shoulders and added, "Fine. I gossip. Sue me."

Unfortunately we had more pressing issues than my family's carnal desires. "Will you tend the remains with Maria's coven until they are finished burning up?"

Emmett nodded his head and spoke, "Then I'm going back to the house with Esme and the crew from the south. I figure we can keep them busy while you go into La Push and take care of the wounded." He nodded in the direction of home. He spoke quietly, "If you have any problems let me know. I've got my cell."

I changed direction and ran up next to Emmett and began to speak rapidly and very quietly. "You as well, Emmett, don't trust them. Maria and her crew have their own agenda. They are not here for altruistic reasons. I don't want them hurting you or Esme. If they start causing trouble we need to hear about it. As soon as I can get Rosalie back to you I will…but she's just as certified as I am in medicine and I fear we'll need her help. If they want to go let them leave. We can always try to find out more later by ourselves. We don't absolutely need them." I said this at the barest of whispers so that no one could hear but Emmett. "If you can get them to talk…do it. We can get back up to speed when we return home."

"Not a problem. You should get going so you can help Carlisle." Emmett rolled his arm again as he said this clapping me on the shoulder and smiling. I nodded in agreement to Emmett's statement.

"I will see you soon." I lifted my voice slightly and looked toward Esme who was standing with a very despondent looking Leah Clearwater. "Esme, I'm leaving now." I turned and took off as fast as I could run for the coast and La Push. I smelled the salt in the air and felt my legs pumping desperately, rapidly. I understood Jacob's desire to run as far and fast as he could. The darkness of early morning was all around me. The smell of the dew on the grass and the upcoming rain, in the distance I could smell a heard of deer running through the woods. I decided to fell one of them. My thirst was extreme although I hadn't really thought much about it. It had been a grueling week. A doe was drinking away from the rest of the herd and she went down with very little fight, her legs thrashing momentarily before the venom stilled her and I heard the rest of the deer running in terror. The welcome blood was flowing down my throat and filling the void of my hunger before they could even truly get away. If I had more time I would have drunk from another, but as it stood I may have already stayed away too long. I hid the carcass amongst the bushes for scavengers and continued my journey to La Push.

The light blue haze of dawn was coming and the sun would rise soon. However the shadows still kept me from plain sight. I reveled in this aspect of my existence, the freedom of real speed. I could almost imagine Bella running with me in the pre-dawn light, her hair bouncing in the wind as she wound between the trees and ducking just out of sight as we chased each other. I was so wrapped up in the illusion of her that I could almost see the shadow of her running ahead of me her beautiful laugh a haunting melody in my head. I broke through the tree-line and was in La Push faster than I would have imagined. The town was alive with activity. If there had ever been questions about the clandestine wolf people before, now there would be harder evidence to their existence. They would have to come up with something to tell the people who were not in on the secret if there was anyone left who didn't know. At this point I was hard pressed to believe that the whole reservation wasn't aware of the situation.

It didn't take me long to find the meeting building. It was drawing a large crowd and I was startled to see Billy Black by the door waiting for me he was watching my approach with shadowed eyes. "Thank you for coming here." I walked past the side of the building where a tarp was down and I could smell the dead bodies under them. It was a horrible loss, especially since most of the wolves that had died were very young.

"I'm glad to be of help. I know we're here against your better judgment." I understood why Billy was nervous of us.

"I'm an old man. Everything is against my better judgment. I'm here to watch over them. They shouldn't be alone. I guess we are finding ourselves in your debt now more often than my ancestors would have ever been comfortable with, but they probably didn't know you as well as us. I'm not so closed minded as to think that we aren't growing to need each other." Billy Black surprised me even further when he paused and said something that I would have never expected him to say, "I'm sorry for your loss." He looked truly saddened by my fiancée's death.

Billy continued to speak with a familiar tone, as if we had never been enemies. "I knew Bella as a little girl. I watched her grow up, and I was protective of her like any father. She used to play with my daughters while Charlie and I fished. I was afraid that you would hurt her, that you would kill her. I believed the stories more than what I saw from your reality. She was a beautiful woman, and she would have been a fine wife." He looked away from me, his weathered face looking even more distraught by the moment. He looked at the dead bodies and tears gathered in his eyes. "They were all too young to die. Hell, I thought Harry was awfully young to die."

"Billy. I appreciate your consolation and your acceptance." I gathered my courage and continued. "A few hours ago we learned that Bella was not killed as we had thought. She was taken from us and she is returning as we speak." I didn't want this person who cared so deeply for someone I loved to hurt, especially since his motivations had always been her safety.

"That seems impossible. Didn't Jacob see them kill her?" He looked astonished and troubled as he questioned me.

"The group that assaulted her must have someone with them that can warp memories. What Jacob saw was not real, but an illusion. What the Volturri wanted him to see." I wasn't sure if I should tell Billy Black that my fiancée was one of the undead. I didn't know if I could handle his reaction when I felt so awful about the situation myself. She didn't deserve to be turned by those strangers after being kidnapped. She had probably been so frightened, so alone. I didn't want to imagine the suffering of her transformation. What comforts had they allowed her? What were her circumstances then and now?

I continued after my pause, deciding that I would let him ask if he wanted to know the status of her change. I wasn't going to volunteer any information until I had more knowledge of the situation at large, "I have not told Jacob yet. I was distracted by this turn of events, as well as other grim situations that have come to light." I kept my face schooled into a grim and impassive hard line.

"Yes. Poor Emily will be inconsolable. She was a newly married woman. When a warrior goes beyond his flesh there is no comfort for those left behind, but the hope that we will return to each other when we reach eternity." He said this with deep sadness tingeing his voice. "As to your finding Bella alive, I'm happy to hear that we will still have something to celebrate when all of this has settled down." It was said in a very matter of fact way. There was no contempt for me. I was surprised.

"Thank you Billy. I need to get in and help my father. The dawn is breaking and I'm afraid that there is more injury than even Carlisle can handle alone." I stated this with grim uncertainty. I started to walk into the building and I heard Billy comment behind me.

"Yes, I remember what a handful Jacob was when he was injured last May. Please feel free to ask anyone here for help. Everyone is at your disposal. Thank you for fighting with them, and for helping us to defend the people." Billy stated solemnly. He stayed where he was outside of the hall and I passed through the doors into the main room.

Carlisle's shirt was covered in blood from Collin's operation. I could see that he was quietly lying on his side. The ravaged flesh from his wounds had been expertly wrapped and stitched and my father looked slightly less harangued although he still looked sad. "Edward. I'm glad you've arrived. I assume that means that the others are finishing up in the field. Can you look into the last two injuries? Jasper and Alice are with them in the other room. If I need you in here I will let you know. I um uncertain that we will be able to save Collin…I've been replacing his blood but his rib had, as you had guessed, punctured his heart and as he moved it would further tear the tissue."

Carlisle gave me a grave look and continued in his head, _'If he makes it through the next few hours he'll have a better chance of survival. The wolves bodies are made to repair damage; it may be that he'll pull through. The prognosis is grim.'_

"I will pray for him." I put my fingers in Collin's spiky hair in a familiar way and checked the dilation of his eyes and looked at the papers that my father had placed next to the bed as a makeshift patient chart. A heart monitor beeped slowly and weakly at his side, his blood pressure was extremely low, and I could almost taste the trauma of his situation on my tongue. Especially with blood that did not smell as horrible being injected into his bloodstream making his scent more tolerable. From what I could read on his chart Carlisle was right. I went into the back room where Alice was talking gently to Embry and Quill while Jasper stood on the opposite side of the room trying to calm the general panic in the small space.

"Rosalie is returning the ambulance to the hospital and then returning to the house. She was able to help a good number of the injured in the room before your arrival. I believe the only situations left to be dealt with in there are the two last beds on the right." Jasper said to me from the corner with a serious look.

Alice continued speaking, "No more wolfing out. Trust me; it's bad for your health right now."

"I just want to see where Jake is…he said he would be coming back here, but he isn't, and I'm starting to worry." It was Quill, he had an ace bandage wrapped tightly around his leg and arm. The room had been arranged with cots and I realized that this was probably used as an emergency shelter in the case of storms with high winds and waves…especially this close to the shore. The wolf people of La Push were too big for the small beds, but they were already in varying degrees of pain.

"I'll do it Quill I'm not laid up with a broken leg." Embry patted his friend on the shoulder. "Jake never said we couldn't turn back…he just gave the order for us to become human. No time limit. It's a bit open ended."

"No." Leah walked in behind me and I realized that she must have been the only one allowed to change back so that she could return to La Push. "Jacob ordered us to stay human. We're going to stay human till he gets back." I began checking the broken arm, and just as I had suspected it had healed wrongly. I would need to break the bone again and then set it. No plaster…there wouldn't be time and who were we fooling anyway? "I'll be in here with Doctor Cullen looking after the people who are actually hurt." She turned on her heel and walked out.

"Great…wonderful. I was looking forward to this day. Leah Clearwater. Evil Bitch Second in Command! I can't wait for her to start ordering me around. That will be exciting." Quill bit out as he rolled his eyes. I got the hilarious vision of Leah Clearwater with a whip barking orders quite literally as the rest of the pack tried to avoid getting hit. He looked at me with a wide grin on his face and I smiled back.

"Really? I had no idea she was up for promotion." I said blithely as I continued talking to Embry, "This might sting a bit. How about you look the other way?" I smiled reassuringly into Embry's worried glance.

"Yeah. She's Harry's daughter. The Clearwaters are an old family and they sit second on the council. Obviously Seth is younger. This is the way it's going to go. Hey, It really doesn't hurt that bad now. I think it healed up." Embry changed the subject while he flexed his fingers trying to look convincing. Quill started laughing as I unwound the ace bandage around the break so that I could feel exactly where the crack was and where I would have to re-break it.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of Dr. Fang Jr. here? Come on…what's the worst he could do?" Quill taunted as Jasper laughed and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Do I look like an idiot? What he's gonna' do is gonna' hurt like hell! How about we let him break your arm and see if you like it." Embry snarled at Quill

"How do you know he's going to break your arm?" Alice asked with a smile. "I can see the future…and I haven't seen him do that…" She trailed off and I nearly started laughing. Alice couldn't see the wolves at all. Of course she couldn't see me breaking his arm.

"Fine, but whatever he's going to do better not hurt!" Embry shouted in the silence as everyone else watched him. I looked over my shoulder at Jasper and pointed with my eyes at Embry, and then I looked at Quill and mouthed the words 'hold him'.

'_He better not break my damn arm again. He better not break my damn arm again. He better not…'_ Embry repeated in his head like a sutra. I got ready to apply pressure to the bone and told Alice in a fast whisper to back away.

'_On the count of three then…' _I thought as he ended the sentence and I snapped the abused arm. It was an audible "SNAP!"

"FUCK!! MOTHER MARY! WHAT THE HELL!" Embry was already being held down by my brother and his friend but the force of his struggles was shaking the cot to almost the point of breaking. "What the FUCK happened to seeing the future?!?" Embry continued to resist as I began stabilizing the break with splints and wrapping it in an ace bandage again.

"Did I forget to mention that I can't see your future?" Alice gave a smug smile and she continued, "I don't need to see the future to know that you need to stop moving around though. Do you want him to have to do that again?"

"I don't know if your bones can take that kind of trauma in the same place more than twice in a day…we might have to put a metal plate in your arm if you don't start behaving." I smiled wickedly. "Surgery."

Embry immediately stopped moving around. I smiled at the two men holding him down and looked at Embry's leg. "NEXT!" Quill shouted with a small grimacing smile.

"Gentlemen?" I situated myself so that I could feel the fractured femur. It too had grown back at an unacceptable angle. Quill and Jasper pushed his shoulders against the cot so that he was lying down.

"AWWW! Hell no! Get me outta' this bed! Get your hands off of me Dr. PAIN! NO! YOU CAN'T BREAK MY DAMN LEG!" He had an image of himself hopping out of the room and us being drug along behind him and I very nearly laughed. Jasper, Quill and Alice had gone beyond that point though and the three of them were howling with laughter. In fact the entire room was watching us with no small amount of amusement.

"It will only last a second. I will be as humane as I possibly can." I promised the wolf boy with the broken leg in as soft and gentle a tone as I could muster.

"Humane? You lied to me!" He accused as he tried in vain to pull his leg away from me.

"No. Alice lied to you, and she really didn't lie, she told unrelated facts and you chose to believe them as relevant. I chose to stay silent. Now stay still." I took him a bit harder in my grasp feeling the break under my hand and this too audibly snapped. Everyone in the room flinched.

"MOTHERFU…" Alice had stuffed the end of a pillow in Embry's mouth to stop his expletive. He blinked and looked slightly dazed and confused.

"There are ladies present!" Alice laughed. "Besides…such language isn't meant for such small puppies!" My tiny sister was shaking her finger threateningly at the huge young man and he nodded his head with a look of disbelief. Quill and Jasper began laughing again. I worked quickly splinting and wrapping so that I could get on with the work ahead of me. The wolves had excellent healing capabilities. Embry would be back on his feet in the day. Probably by mid-afternoon if I allowed it. I would really rather he waited a bit longer to make sure we wouldn't have more of the same.

"Don't put any pressure on it until nightfall. We don't want to see you again." I gave him an encouraging smile and moved on. When I walked up to the next bed the young girl shook her head. "Now, who do we have here?" I asked the girl, although I knew already that her name was Sheila.

"Sheila, I was just knocked out. I'm getting over a concussion. No touching!" She smiled but I could see the fear in her eyes. I wasn't sure if she was more afraid of me as a vampire or me as a doctor.

"See that? Embry Call you should be ashamed of yourself! Look at that poor little girl. Now she's afraid to see a doctor!" Alice tapped her foot.

"Sorry." Embry smiled hesitantly at the young girl. "It really wasn't that bad."

Sheila narrowed her eyes at Embry. "Really, because I remember a lot of cussing and flailing…are you some kinda' whimp?"

Embry sighed and looked away and the room burst into laughter again and it only just died down when everyone heard someone screaming outside. "NO! NO! NO! NO! YOU PROMISED ME! GOD! NO!" Everyone became deathly quiet and those that could rise got up and looked out the windows. Embry was leaning against Quill with pain on his face…but not for his wounds, and he helped Embry hop across the room.

"Oh…Emily." Embry shook his head as he whispered her name. It was a world of hurt and loss inside of a name. Embry and Quill leaned against each other as they stared out the window waiting for the girl to come into view.

Alice, Jasper, and I ran out the door and saw a woman with a ruined face running across the muddy ground. She had left her car running with the door open. She slipped twice as she ran through puddles and uneven ground. She was still beautiful despite having been mauled. I realized at once that it had been one of the werewolves that had done it. Sam. He had torn his claws down her face, deadening the nerves and destroying her beauty. "It's going to be fine Emily. We won't leave you alone." Billy said as he sat unflinching in his chair. She had lost her uncle to a weak heart, and now she was losing her husband.

"FINE? No, SAM!" Emily screamed. She tore the tarp off of the bodies and crawled to him. His lips and skin had taken on a blue cast and his body still had the look of being broken over and over again, he was truly a mess and I saw Quill and Embry wince in the window. She lay next to him and sobbed. "This will never be okay…THIS WILL NEVER BE OKAY! Sam…open your eyes. Please? I promise to do anything. I don't care who I have to sell my soul to. Just don't leave me. I'm not ready yet!" She sat on her hip and ran her fingers over his chest both hands coming back bloody.

Leah Clearwater stepped toward her cousin with sadness and a trace of fear on her face and in her thoughts, _'This is all my fault Emily. I'm so sorry. I wish it was me. I wish you weren't going through this. No one would miss me.'_

"Where were you? Where were you when he died? You promised me you wouldn't let him die Leah!" Emily accused her cousin. Her hands grabbed at Leah, but she couldn't gain any purchase because her hands were slippery with her dead husband's blood. "WHERE!" It came out as a statement.

"I'm so sorry Emily…I tried to help him." Leah whispered to her cousin with horror as she looked at the blood she now had smeared across her belly. She had rushed past me to fight for Sam. I had seen it, but I was silent. I knew how Emily was feeling. I too had lost Bella only last week, the only difference was that Sam was not going to be coming back. Never. I was the lucky one this time. Leah stared at Emily in horror as she forced out the words, "I tried."

"I don't want to hear it! SAM!" Emily shook his dead shoulders and began sobbing in earnest. Her hands once again holding her lover and her arms and hands were covered in the sticky blood that covered his body from the scores of gashes on his frame. Her hair was covering her face and she leaned down over his heart and pressed her face into his chest as if to listen for it's thundering beat. Once again there was a sob that tore roughly through her chest. When she looked up at us again his blood stuck to her hair and face.

"You look fine to me! Look at him. Look at him and tell me you tried! Is there something on his body that they didn't break? You let them destroy him Leah!" Emily stood up on wobbly legs, and I looked up watching as my father stepped from the building. Leah saw Carlisle grimace in sympathy and she looked back at my father as if to ask for help. The newly widowed woman walked toward Leah, grabbed her shoulders, and glared at the wolf woman. "You let them do this to him on purpose!" Emily's hand went back and I moved to stop her; my hand catching Emily's before she could hit her cousin.

"Please…she's telling the truth. There was no way she could have helped any more than she already had." I said the words in the most calming way imaginable. Her thoughts were murderous. She wanted to hurt Leah, but she would only end up hurting herself.

"What would you know about it you walking cadaver?" The widow spit the words in my face with malice and turned toward me. "How dare you come here without his permission?" She pointed to Sam and shuddered. "What would you know about what they have sacrificed for the sake of your presence? Why are you still here?"

"We are here because there are people here who need our care, and when we are done I promise you that we will leave." Carlisle spoke with a quiet voice. He understood that she was in pain, and as a doctor I could see the desire to ease her suffering.

"NO! I mean WHY? Why are you HERE?" She held her blood covered arms out around her. "You're all nothing more than myths, legends, and children's nightmares! None of this can possibly be real!" Emily was losing her hold on sanity and as Billy went to slowly cover the bodies of the dead she rushed over and stood defiantly over the tarp. "They look human…" The widow looked desperately at Carlsile and pleaded, "Why would I be given his love if I wasn't allowed to keep it? Shouldn't you be able to bring him back? You could kill him…like you…so that he could live like you!"

"That isn't possible." Carlisle walked forward and put his hands onto Emily's shoulders, and staring deeply into her eyes. He steered her off of the tarp so that Billy could continue in covering the dead and began to speak, "the werewolves are incapable of becoming one of us…their entire nature is to be the opposite of what we are. We are cold and dead, and they are alive and beyond the warmth of humanity. Sam was a great man, even more so because he was alone when he became a monster and there was no one to hold his hand but you. He looked beyond his very nature to help us. You sacrificed much for your husband, and now he has returned that love to protect you. Please Emily, don't blame your cousin for his death. She fought valiantly, and is grieving just as…"

Emily pushed Carlisle's hands away and interrupted his words, "Yes, you would understand grief wouldn't you? You monsters don't care about human lives do you?" She was angry at Carlisle for not being able to turn Sam, and even angrier at the world for having to wish he was one of the living dead.

Leah spoke as she pointed to Alice, who looked dazed, and Jasper, "Yes, because they would know nothing of love right? They don't look like they might understand the concept right? You know why Sam was ready to do this…you know why he was fighting! They aren't like the other vampires, and if there were more like them there would be no need to fight. We could live without the burden of being monsters. Sam didn't believe that the Cullen family was the reason we were becoming wolves at such an alarming rate. He believed that there was something bigger coming for all of us, and with them on our side we might have an advantage, however small it is."

"CONCEPTS! LOVE? GOOD VS EVIL! It's all a bunch of nonsense! I heard him talking to Jacob about it, but I refuse to believe that a monster can love anything more than itself!" Emily spun around and pointed an accusing finger at me. "And DON'T give me any nonsense about Bella! There is more than one reason we were calling her Vampire Girl. She was just as miserable and dead inside as he was when I met her. She threw herself over a cliff for god's sake! Are we really going to use her as a measure for a normal person? Don't forget that it was her connection to them that got her killed!"

I looked down at the mud at my feet and winced at the vision of Bella sick, wan, and deathly thin coming into my mind from Emily. She was standing in a sunny kitchen full of food and people but my love looked out of place and she would from time to time force a small piece of muffin into her mouth and chew as if she couldn't taste it. She was right. Bella looked like a vampire amongst the robust and healthy men around the table right down to the dark black and blue circles under her eyes. She looked dead. I had done that to her. Maybe Billy was wrong, maybe I hadn't physically killed her, but I nearly did and now the Volturri had done the rest of the job.

"None of you will talk about it! None of you wants to bring it up, but I don't have any problem showing contempt for a bunch of blood sucking monsters! What were your plans for Bella? What were you going to do to her after you were married? Was she going to play Little Suzie Homemaker while you went out into the world and killed, or was she going to add herself to your already strong coven? What if they were to decide that we were a threat? What if they decided to kill all of us? You were all going to let them do that just for the sake of what, something that might be a hunch?" Emily turned back toward Carlisle. "I don't care if you are a doctor there is proof all around us that you're willing to drink the blood of others."

I looked at Emily with pain in my eyes; I knew what she was feeling. She was blaming them, and herself, and us. I wanted to help her desperately and so I tried to convey a small bit of what I was feeling about Bella. "Carlisle has never taken a human life that was not already endangered! I can tell you what it is like to take the life of another person who was not already going to die. I am more of a monster than he'll ever be, and I loved Bella dearly just as she was."

Carlisle interrupted me before I could go on. "You are not a monster Edward. You know what Bella would say to that."

I cut my father off and continued looking deeply into Emily's ruined face. "No, I was a monster, but she reminded me what it was like to love someone more than life. I cared for her so much that I was willing to separate myself from the only person that I have ever loved for the sake of her safety. I wanted Bella to stay safe and human. I wanted her to get older and have children and die like everyone else. If I could give her those things in myself, I would, but I can't. That is how you came to see her looking so destroyed. We were both like that."

"So that's your alibi? That is how you would have justified making her one of the legions of the undead?" Emily bit the words out and I heard her thoughts, _'He doesn't know what it's like…to be alone…to have this responsibility to someone you'll never see again. How will I raise this baby without Sam? I'm disfigured and ugly…I never felt that way when Sam was here with me, but my child will see it, and he will get the wrong idea about who and what Sam was.' _

I continued as if I had not heard her mental words. "Do you have any idea what it's like to wish you were something else? I wish to God I could be human again! All I want is to give her a family and my warmth, and to see her have our children and grow old together. If it was her wish to be human…I would have done anything for that to remain true. I argued with her about it daily. It was the thing that followed her into sleep and sometimes it was the first thing on her lips in the morning. I didn't want to damn her soul, and she didn't want to live without me." I looked up at my family and they had sorrowful looks on their faces. Carlisle most of all, and I wished that I could comfort him against my feelings.

"I don't want to live without Sam either. I can't live without him." The widow looked at Leah with the anguish evident in her eyes and voice. "Please Leah…don't make me go on without him."

Leah shook her head in a horrified stupor. "Are you asking me to hurt you?"

"No…I'm asking you to kill me." The newly widowed woman was completely lost to her grief. I had wished for the same release only days before and I understood her pain. Quill was out the door before any decision could be made; ready to stop Leah if she were to go on. He stood bristling next to Carlisle.

"No one here is EVER going to hurt a hair on your head. You are going to be strong and I'm going to be there with you every single step of the way. We are going to die crazy old ladies, together, just like we promised when we were twelve and there was none of this between us." Leah looked up with conviction on her face. She continued, "No matter what happens you are going to have the single biggest family you've ever seen and nobody is going to be alone. Not you or me or even Quill."

Emily shook her blood matted hair and she looked back up at me and thought the strangest single words I had ever heard for who we were. _'Solution, you are my sweet solution.' _

"No…I won't hurt you. I wouldn't even if you begged me. Take care of yourself because that's what he would have wanted. For Sam…" I looked at Jasper meaningfully and he nodded his head. Alice stood aside her eyes looking clear again as Jasper walked forward and everyone tensed. I realized too late that it almost looked like he was willing to help her die. Leah began to fairly vibrate with hostility and I put my hand on her shoulder and shook my head.

"Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to me." Emily was covered in blood and Jasper was not breathing even though the blood was dead she was very much alive and very tempting in her state of fear and pain.

Jasper brushed the hair away from her face and tears traced down over her cheeks. One side of her face ruined by the man she loved so dearly. "Tell me when you wake up." She slumped almost immediately and Jasper had to catch her in his arms and then gave her quickly to Alice who walked toward Quill and handed her over gently to the young man who smiled at the woman in his arms.

"Thank you Jasper. When she's not feeling as rough you're gonna' pay for that. Trust me she's a little hellcat" Quill smiled warily as he walked toward the vehicle and placed her in the back seat. "I'll drive her home and Embry can come with me. He can baby-sit her while he heals up. That way if she needs anything he can hop around the house and she can laugh at him." Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, Leah, Billy and I stood outside as the rain began to fall again.

"I'm sorry she said those things to you. She was grieving." Billy looked at Carlisle with a true apology in the tenor of his voice.

"There are people who would miss you if you were gone." I said in a quiet voice to Leah. "The list would surprise you, and I'm on it."

She nodded her head and headed back toward the doors.

"It's nothing we haven't heard before. She needs time to get better, to heal…I will go back inside and tend to the rest of the wounded. Leah, please aid me." Carlisle spoke and Leah nodded her head and went inside. "Edward, Alice, and Jasper will return home." My father gave the words gently and looked directly at me. _'I want you to find out everything you can from Maria and her group. Sam and Jacob both felt a rising tide of evil, and I think they are right.'_

"I would feel more comfortable if you were to let me stay." I didn't like the idea of Carlisle being alone in their home undefended. I didn't, at this point, believe they would try to hurt him, but if something were to happen at all I would blame myself.

Jasper surprised me when he looked at Carlisle and asked to stay. "Please sir, I'd like to stay and help out. You might still need me, and I want to be here when the rest of the families come. I would like to bring them some form of comfort. We couldn't save them on the field…I would like to bring their families some measure of peace. Also, Edward will get more out of Maria than I will. That woman is so full of convolution you can hardly tell her head from her nethers." He was blaming himself for the losses again, but his intentions were good. Alice closed her eyes and we both saw that it was a good idea. Carlsile immediately agreed.

"Jasper. Do me a favor and see that Sheila is given some Tylenol and kept awake. From what I can tell the trauma to her head wasn't serious, and she is probably going to do fine on her own. Her kind is more than resilient enough to deal with a little concussion." I turned back toward home immediately looking forward to getting the information from Maria.

I called over my shoulder and looked at Billy. "If you wouldn't mind I would like for Jacob to come by our house as soon as he can. We will discuss the situation further. If he's uncomfortable coming alone he can bring Quill and Leah. I think the treaty is void at the moment. There might be something far more pressing than our sensibilities right now." The old man nodded his head in agreement.

Alice was already running for home but I caught up with her quickly. "West Side Story" into Yiddish, really Alice? Is it that bad?" Her mind had been far away throughout the entire situation outside. I'd seen her eyes glaze over and she had immediately focused on keeping me out of her head.

"Edward, I've been having the strangest visions since all of that started. I'm kind of concerned…" My sister looked hesitant to share with me.

"Please Alice. I'm high strung enough at this point. What did you see?" I asked as she slowed down and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Promise me you aren't going to freak out?" Alice muttered with a look of pure concern on her face.

"I'll react accordingly." I answered with a small snarl.

"Okay, but it isn't pretty." Alice let the images run through her head and a roar was on my lips before I had seen them for seconds. Alice immediately went back to singing "Tonight" in Yiddish in her head.

"Why is Felix fighting with Bella? Alice…she has no idea what she's doing. She's always been so uncoordinated, and she decides to fight with the head of the Volturri guard? Why…" I fell to my knees and leaned my forehead against the tree in front of me. "Did she live?" I feared the answer. The future was becoming hazy for me again. Would I ever see her again? "Just tell me she lived."

"Oh, Edward. She's fine. It was the Volturri's way of training her to fight. It was actually a little funny. She's still a little bit clumsy." Alice was petting my hair.

"If that was the case why didn't you just tell me instead of giving me a heart attack?" I glared at my small sister. We got up and began running again.

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't have a heart attack, and well…because that wasn't the disturbing bit…this was." Alice looked at me with a bit of panic in her eyes and we both watched as Aro stood before an assemblage of hundreds and put a dark cloak over my love's shoulders. Felix bowed and kissed the hands of all three vampires that stood at an airport that I was fairly certain was in Port Angeles. Bella did the same as Felix bowing, but not touching them as they did not seem to want her to touch them.

All three were smiling wickedly and as always Aro spoke, "They will go together to ferret out our prey. I believe they will be surprised to find Bella alive and whole. When we have arrived I expect a quick victory. She will hold back their abilities and we will be victorious. Felix, Bella, go now and be ready to win our war."

"What if they have possessed her mind Edward? What if Bella doesn't remember us? She couldn't possibly be so far gone that she would kill you. I don't believe it." Alice ran faster as if getting home would change anything we had just seen.

"No, I think we aren't seeing the whole picture. Can you see anything else?" I asked and my sister shook her head no.

"The wolves must be involved because I can't see anything about that. I can see Emmett…and Esme…and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!" We both ran faster, I was leaving Alice behind as she spoke and I ran toward our home. When I broke through the lush greens and browns of the forest into the early grey morning light of the fields by our house I saw that indeed the house was leaping with flames. The windows in my room were breaking and shattering from the heat of the conflagration. I passed around to the front of the house when I heard the voices of my family in my head. Esme was sitting on the front lawn looking like she had rolled in soot. Emmett stood to her right over her and seemed to be yelling at Esme. Standing next to him was Rosalie whom looked absolutely furious.

"What the hell happened?" I ran up to them and they turned around. "Was it Maria? Jasper's going to be pissed."

"I didn't do this!" Maria walked over from the Garage, which I was thankful at the moment was detached. At the very least my cars would live. "No way no how!"

"Esme…how about you explain this situation. I'm too pissed." Emmett folded his hands over his massive chest and I could immediately see in his mind's eye why he was angry. Esme had leapt into the blazing inferno into the second floor window. I knew immediately why. Esme was clutching the slightly charred cross against her chest and looking at me with guilt.

I felt relief wash over me. The situation had passed, and Esme was unharmed. Emmett was angry, but he had been frightened beyond reason when she had jumped into our burning home, and even more so when he learned that it was all for the sake of any part of the building. "What were you thinking?" I admonished my mother.

"I wasn't. Oh, I'm so sorry. Carlisle is going to be livid with me. I just didn't want that last part of his human life going up into ashes." The house gave an awful groan and my room went crashing into the floors below.

"I had three Prada handbags in there…you could have grabbed those!" Alice smiled and laughed. Esme gave her a "watery" smile.

"Alice! It isn't funny! She could have been killed!" Emmett rounded on Alice and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, Emmett. Enough." Rosalie was still looking highly agitated, but she was finished listening to Emmett yell. "I know you were scared. She's fine. We've got to make sure this fire doesn't spread to the forest and I guess we should start now that Edward's room is in Alice's."

"Maybe it won't spread if we just remove the grass from fifteen feet or so around the building and we can just put out any fire that falls outside of the perimeter?" I suggested.

"Works for me, and I'll have the boys help. Creed, Michael, Pedro, Emanuel, Escobar, and Gavin, I want you to help them keep this fire out of the rest of the field. We're going to make a perimeter of land around the building and hopefully keep it from burning down the forest. I want two of you, Pedro and Gavin, to get buckets and keep the ground wet. Once it's saturated we'll throw water at the house." Maria pointed to Esme. "She's going to find you shovels," and then over at Alice. "She's going to get you buckets. Let's go people!"

Esme took off to the garden shed followed by her helpers, Alice started heading for the garage and she looked at me meaningfully. _'Pushy…isn't she?'_

My family made quick work of the lawn and Maria's group was soaking the sides of the building already, but the heat was extreme and it seemed to do very little against the flames licking the building. Every once in a while we would hear a shuddering groan and another bit of floor would fall through. Esme was holding Carlisle's cross very closely to herself as she watched it go up in flames. Our home was gone. "Do we know who did this? I'm pretty sure the iron was off." I smiled at my mother as I said this, trying to get her to return the gesture. I was pleased to see that I could gain a positive reaction from her as she smiled back at my off color joke.

"I've got a good guess if you want to hear it." Maria volunteered as her men continued to work alongside Emmett and Rosalie. "I'm guessing it was those lovely people from Volterra. They called us up here promising to give us free reign of the south if we're willing to work with them. Everybody fears the Volturi, but this seemed like an offer we couldn't refuse. Not because it was a choice, but because they would come down on us and destroy us as usual. Of course I wasn't going to come because all those simpletons were coming up here and that left all their land down there unattended. Idiots, as if the Volturi could give them land they didn't fight for. Then, I heard them talking about the Major…and well I was feeling altruistic. Poor guy just can't seem to catch a break. So I came up here to stop them from killing Jasper."

"All out of the kindness of your un-beating heart, how giving!" Alice bit out as she glared. "How come I see you heading for the hills within the next few minutes then?"

"Everything has its season sweet cheeks. I'm going to get home now that we have stopped them from hurting anybody with half a brain." Maria smiled sweetly at Alice.

I interrupted, "You mean to say, now that the land is clear and you know it you'll be heading back to make sure of your claim to the territory."

"Potato, Po-taaa-to. I'll just consider us even." Maria tipped a nonexistent hat and wandered away from us. "Boys…we've helped the Major, killed the competition, and now were heading back and taking everything down to the Rio Grande! Move out!"

The five of us stood watching them walking away. "Is that everything we needed to know?" Emmett looked at me and then asked the other question everyone else wanted to ask. "Or, did you hear more coming out of her head?"

"Unfortunately she's a little focused on her impending victory over Texas. However, from what I could tell, she's telling us everything she knows." I said solemnly. At least now we could be sure it was the Volturi…but something was wrong with that. What Alice had seen was incongruous with the volume of people the self styled vampire army had brought. Again, I was stumped by the sheer size of the group they had brought in Alice's vision. Surely they knew we would fall under an onslaught more than half that size. These were trained and probably old vampires. We were a small family of seven. Eight if we ever found Bella again. My empty heart ached with the missing piece of our family.

"So, now we're just waiting for the "envoy," Alice winced slightly.

"What envoy? Alice did you see something? Are you less broken?" Rosalie looked hopeful.

"What does that mean Rose?" Alice glared at her sister. Rosalie just rolled her eyes as if she were above petty arguments, which was funny, because she was the one who started it. We all turned our heads toward the house as it gave another shuddering lurch and the porch fell in. Esme looked up at us and put her hand on Alice's shoulder.

"No fighting! What envoy?" Esme quietly asked Alice as we settled down. Alice had opened her mouth to talk when we were interrupted from another source.

Out front where we were we heard a very familiar voice scream from the other side of the house. I could never have been happier to hear terror in my life. I ran and saw her, cloak streaming behind like a banner as she ran straight for the house. Her face was set in a mask of pain and I began to run faster than I ever had in my life. She was still thirty feet away from the burning house when I slammed into her our bodies colliding with the sounds of boulders striking each other. End over end we rolled until finally we stopped and she continued to struggle, her body shuddering with tearless sobbing.

"Bella…it's only a house…we're safe. It's okay. Shhhh. It's over." I had never felt so complete in my life. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever beheld and her ruby eyes blinked owlishly as if she were confused to see me or simply confused. "Didn't you…" I hadn't even spoken two words and her lips crashed into mine. Our first kiss was exultant and completely unhindered by any of our old fears. She was as much my equal as I could ever have expected. Beautiful, strong, perfect, and hopefully still mine. I hoped desperately that she could still love me after everything I'd done…and everything I'd failed to do. "Shut up, stop thinking, and kiss me Edward." I did. Nothing existed but Bella and I and it was quiet even in my head, which I realized, was because the voices were gone.

Somewhere on the other side of the house from where we were still kissing passionately I audibly heard another voice, this one less welcome, because I wasn't sure how Bella would handle it. "Holy Crap! Mrs. Cullen you should have called the fire department, not that they are going to come. We're evacuating Forks because of a chemical spill up north. Time is of the essence here. Something about a styrene leak. Everybody needs to get out of here."

I saw Bella visibly shudder and hide. "Charlie…" This was not going to be good.


	13. Destinations

Escaping Sol

Destinations

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

I'm going to really enjoy reading your responses from this one. Not just because you already know that Edward and Bella are together from his point of view, but also because I love writing from Bella's POV and can't wait for her "response" to Edward.

I had the time to upload a few changes to the other chapters too. I've made a few corrections. Life is tough all over: ) I'm really tired this week, and I'm writing at work right now because there is NOBODY here. I've only got like thirty people in house. Blah! It makes the whole process of auditing very short.

In another note I wanted to thank Jexena for looking at my story and helping me out. I never would have realized the worst fundamental flaw in my story if not for her, so KUDOS!

Thanks again to everyone who's reading and reviewing. I'm really flattered that you're still out there: D

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BPOV

With Felix's face in my own, snarling viciously, I immediately fell backward over my chair. It wasn't graceful, but neither was having my face bit off. I immediately registered the fact that everyone seemed to be laughing. 'Glad they're having a good time.' I thought with a lame grimace on my face. I was only alone on my side of the chair for a second and I felt his hands close around my ankle. The books were thrown from the small table as I knocked it over trying to anchor onto something to stay where I was, and I let out a feral hiss as he pulled me back into the open along with it. I was a little startled by my vocalization. I had never hissed before like that. It was a very threatening noise and it caused everyone in the room to go silent. Expectant.

I kicked my free leg out at Felix and was surprised that I landed a solid hit against his leg. I thrust out with my free foot again and he swatted at it impatiently. Then I looked down at the table in my hand and realized that kicking wasn't really getting me anywhere. I winged the table at him and he lost his balance as it shattered against his chest and Felix had to let go of my ankle to steady himself.

"Nicely done Angel," he said with a smirk. "Now that I know you can take care of yourself I can be serious." He threw a punch and I got off of the floor seconds before he would have hit me. The floor gained a hole. What was he doing? Why was Aro making me fight Felix?

I was still close enough to return an attack, and I got in closer still. "You've got to be joking!" I spat as I raked my nails across Felix's face and he snapped at me again. I saw four angry lines appear from my scratches and almost as immediately they were gone as if they had never been.

I used my newfound multitasking skills and contemplated Aro, Marcus, and Caius. Out of everyone in the room they seemed the most interested in what I would do next. I dodged a kick to my face and stumbled a little over my own feet getting away. I didn't fall…but I didn't feel very steady. Great…I was still clumsy. I growled at Felix and got close enough again to hit him. I had never punched anyone in my life…at least not successfully. I had once punched…Jacob? Yes…he had kissed me and I had punched him. I remembered getting my hand wrapped and Edward had been angry.

I once again scratched at Felix and I came away surprised that I had scored his chest with my nails and partially shredded his clothes. My instinct was to bite and scratch…so I let myself give into that side of my nature. I was now a bit more confident that I could fight with the large Volturi Bodyguard.

"You can do better than that!" The large man came at me again and I was not fast enough to get away. I had come too close and been too long in contemplating my small "victory" for me to effectively dodge. Felix landed a blow to my chest and I literally went flying. The back wall of the airplane's cabin bent and the fiberboard shattered from the force. I had landed ungracefully on the ground amongst the debris, but my ability to get up afterward was what was truly shocking to me. I had no time to ponder my new resilience.

I had a very precious few seconds to think before I was jumping out of the way again. Felix swung his arm out and I dodged under it and stepped quickly to the right. "Are you just going to scurry around like a mouse, or are you going to show me what you have?" Felix taunted me as I ducked again and his fist punched through the wall and into the other room beyond.

All the time I felt a lingering tug on my body as the hundreds of powers that I had blocked out somehow tried to take over. I wished my control was better, but that would take time I didn't have. I didn't dare stop concentrating on keeping them out. If I did let them in I would go completely insane…and I needed every bit of my focus because Felix was a force to be reckoned with, a force of nature.

At the same time I remembered what he had said about feeling "as weak as a human" when I had stolen his power. Perhaps I could concentrate enough on Felix alone to steal just his strength if he had his hands on me. I was afraid to try, but as he connected once again hitting me into a bank of counters that splintered on impact and sent wood shattering against my hard skin, I knew that I would have to form some sort of strategy. Marcus and Aro were conversing again in low Italian. They thought I was doing "well."

"I think I'm going to have to stay away from you! Are you insane? Felix…please don't hurt me!" I cried out frantically. Maybe the innocent girl routine would work. I only half pretended to cower in the corner as he drew closer. I really was very much afraid of Felix and his flashing teeth. He sprung forward in a crouch and I jumped up against the wall and pushed forward clumsily falling over his head and away from his dangerous grasping hands and snapping canines. Apparently he wasn't susceptible to girly manipulation when under orders. I landed on my hands and knees and instantly regretted not landing on my feet because he had me by the hair almost immediately.

Once again Felix was in a position of power, he was in control. I needed to upset the balance. I needed to concentrate on my opponent and take his strength before something terrible happened and I was thrown out of the plane. I didn't think the impact would kill me at all…after everything was said and done I was already dead. I just didn't want the experience of falling twenty-thousand feet. I hadn't liked heights as much since throwing myself over the cliff in La Push. This fall would take me infinitely farther…and I would have to run the rest of the distance home somehow. I just didn't have the time. Not to mention the collateral damage from a boulder sized human striking the earth from that distance! What if I landed on someone? 'Talk about something I would need therapy for…' I thought with a small grin.

While I distracted myself with the image of me at the end of such a fall, Felix wrapped his massive hand around my throat and threw me into the chairs. I felt the frame of the furniture snap and give way under the force of my impact and I wondered if there would be anything left in one piece after we were finished, although I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be intentionally keeping the fight to the back half of the room and away from his masters.

They were all talking about how "well" I was holding up. Was this really a good effort? Or maybe they were simply talking about my ability? I wasn't going to need Carmen anymore…That was said by Marcus. He was looking actually quite excited…for Marcus.

I had betrayed myself to them with so little effort on their part. They knew I was keeping it together on my own…and if I could pull off taking Felix's strength I would be giving even more away. I was almost afraid to try stealing his power anyway…what if I just succeeded in making myself more confused? Too confused to fight back? I didn't think they would let the large guard kill me, but I wasn't sure.

"Stay away from me!" I shouted angrily at Felix, but he advanced again with his lips drawn back in a feral snarl. He was going to bite me! I grabbed the chair out from under me and flung more of the offending broken furniture at Felix. It shattered against his chest and the fabric tore through with splinters and stuffing flying in every direction. It was a much more spectacular destruction than the table. "Don't touch me!" I snarled when he kept coming. Two could play at his game. I threw myself forward and sunk my teeth into his shoulder. I could taste his sweet skin and his venom in my mouth.

Aro laughed, "Excellent! HA!"

Caius sneered, "A pitiful effort."

Marcus commented, "What a sad day for you Felix!"

"BITCH!" Felix roared. He tore me and invariably the chunk of his flesh away from him by my neck. "Give that back!" He was ready to punch me in the nose and I spit the offending bit of him from my mouth into his face.

"Sure, but only if I can borrow something else!" I shouted as I grabbed his arm and concentrated on Felix's power. I remembered it from earlier…the catalogue in my head easily flipped until I found what I was looking for. With my hands against his hard skin and the fact that I had already sampled his power before it was easy to find him amongst the other abilities. I pictured his strength coming into my body before he could strike me. He was obviously going to hit me again, and I wasn't so sure that he would hold back enough to realize we were facing the wall, and that I would fly through it. Especially with his mind so focused on hurting me after I had hurt him.

We immediately fell to the ground together as he collapsed and I rolled away from him and watched as he lay stunned on the floor.

Somehow I had achieved my goal, and now I was too scared to move. I had done what I had hoped, and feared, that I could…but at the price of what? Would I still be free if they saw me as powerful? I was horrified by my behavior. I had bitten Felix and striped him of his ability. He had already told me to never take his strength again…and I had humiliated him in front of his masters. I crumpled in the corner.

Miserable that I had hurt someone again I hid my face against the world to keep out its scorn. I had not hurt just anyone; I had hurt the first person to talk to me like an equal in my strange new life. Felix, the man who had taken me hunting in the forest so that I could keep to my strange diet, and protected me from myself when I had wanted to kill those poor students at the airport. Felix, the vampire who called me Angel, even though I knew I was the farthest thing from being an angel now. As a human I was plain and normal, and angelic. As a vampire I was some sort of demon, no wonder Edward had not wanted this for me!

I heard Felix get up and advance on me still holding onto the feeling of his power radiating through me. Despite my grasp on his ability he was still going to fight. I huddled further into myself as his footsteps drew closer and I was surprised when all I felt was a gentle hand stroking my head. "Can I have it back now?" Immediately afraid that I had offended him, I let it go. I felt the reserve of strength leave me and I shuddered with the emptiness and the fear that I felt at letting him have it back. I didn't want to fight the burly guard anymore, but he would battle as long as his masters told him to. I pressed my body into the corner and away from his hand. He could open the door and throw me out. I'd had enough.

"Excellent!" Aro crowed and walked toward us. "I'll call it a draw! What an incredible show of strength Bella. Felix, I am in awe of your dedication…I'm sure it was hard to stand after she stole your strength. That took conviction!" I peeked up from the circle of my arms and the old vampire with his milky red eyes looked at both of us with a strange sort of affection. I felt a small rebellious well of pride and squashed it immediately. How could I possibly want the praise of Aro after what he had just forced me to do? Was I becoming attached to the strange creatures that made up the head of the Volturi?

"Well Bella, you are quickly surpassing all of our hopes. Is it possible that you will be ready for the battle we will be waging? Perhaps if you actually intend for the power to drain everyone the damage won't be as bad for your mind? What do you think? Do you believe you can direct it or will I just have to have someone bring you to the field and dump you in the middle and let the chips fall where they may?"

I finally looked up at Aro with what I knew was unmasked horror. "I don't want to drain anyone! I can't do it! It takes over my whole self…I can't be me anymore if I'm all of them. Anytime the power alters their personality I break…I can't describe it…but I break." I shuddered and wished once again that I could cry. I was frustrated and angry and I couldn't release the feeling without the tears sliding down my face to relieve the tension. Why couldn't I cry? I wanted to cry! The catalogue broke open and as if on cue icy venom leaked from my eyes and I looked up at Aro, shocked beyond reason.

"You seem to be doing it just fine. Somewhere on the first floor of this plane you would find a beautiful young vampire named Circe…and she can't secrete venom right now because you're doing it for her." He gave me a fatherly smile that was slightly deferred when Marcus pushed him out of the way to look at my face.

"Spectacular. She's growing more controlled by the minute. No doubt because of the trauma of having to control so much at once. We were right to keep her in the company of the others." Marcus mused out loud.

"Brothers…" Caius walked toward us but stopped at the ruins of the furniture I had been sitting in to read. "We seem to either have a very smart Bella on our hands or a very stupid member of our ranks." He bent at the waist and picked up my now tattered Italian phrasebook pages torn and scattered across the floor. All eyes turned from me to Heidi very quickly. I felt myself feel a small bit of panic for the woman who had shown me kindness. Her contacts could not hide the suddenly black eyes that looked up at the three masters. Caius growled, "What do you have to say for yourself little one?"

"Are we going to have to punish you Heidi? I would hate to think that you were undermining us." Marcus spoke with an air of furious accusation.

Heidi responded to the heads of the Volturi, but specifically to Marcus, "No Lord Marcus. I accept my responsibility for giving Bella the book. I only got it so that she could better understand what was going to…"

"Would you not suppose that we would have spoken in a language that she knew if we wanted her to know what was being said?" Caius spoke again in a low growl and Felix got up to stand beside him. If Felix was going to attack Heidi for helping me, then I would have to help her. She had stuck her neck out for me. I had failed her when I hadn't hidden the book. Even if Felix had attacked me I should have been focused on the state of things around me. Alice had said that being a Cullen meant being meticulous, and if this was my first test I had failed horribly.

"How dare you betray us while on a mission to seek out traitors?" Marcus snarled and stood next to his brother and I felt myself rise from my curled position on the floor. She looked at me and shook her head. She didn't want me to help her? I was the reason she was in trouble! She had shown me a kindness, however small, and I was supposed to stand by and watch them hurt her?

"Please!" I said quietly. "She didn't mean any harm, she only…" I began.

"Silence!" Aro had said the words in a tone he had never used with me before. It was commanding and angry and I was startled into shutting my mouth. "There will be no easy forgiveness for crimes against us now. We have been too light…too accepting of the traitorous games that go on around us for too long. Heidi…we will make an example of you. There will be no more mercy. You have failed us for the last time!" Aro looked at me with a bitter scowl, and I wondered if he were angry with me as well. I felt upset, but why? I was, and there was no way around it in my mind now, growing fond of the men that I had once labeled true monsters. What was happening to me?

"Felix." Caius pointed toward Heidi and the large guard began to advance slowly on the woman in front of him. The rest of the creatures in the room looked on with varied amounts of disinterest and excitement. How could they just stand by? How could I? Is there anything that I could do to save Heidi from her fate now that the three heads of the Volturi had ordered her punished? I wanted to help her, but my desire to not further upset Aro was strong as well. Also, I had the matter of my family. I had to save Edward, my beautiful Edward, from harm. What if I got this far only to be killed so close to home? Would he ever forgive me?

"I'm sorry Edward." The words were whispered so that no one could hear them but me; however I had to say them out loud. I had to speak his name aloud…to apologize for failing him in an honest and verbal way. I ran to Heidi's side and stood in front of the woman as if I could ever protect her. I felt her hand on my back. I looked into her face and I saw her smile. This would be worth my pain. I could feel it in my heart, my un-beating and dead heart.

I faced the three brothers and their guard once again. "I won't let you hurt Heidi for showing me respect. I won't let you come near her Felix." I took a great unnecessary gasp of air and felt my legs stop shaking with fear even if my voice didn't give me the same esteem. That was a good sign. I had made up my mind to stand tall for the lady huntress. At least the Volturi wouldn't see me panic as I was tortured.

The Volturi guardsman lunged forward again and I closed my eyes and tried to think of any way to stop him. I wished I could build a giant wall between us. Something that was impenetrable by his unending strength. I flipped through the powers at my disposal in my mind. I opened my eyes and Felix was inches from my face when he was thrown forcefully backward. I hadn't touched him at all. He crashed into the group on the couch and I heard it break and give way. There was an assortment of noise coming from the vampires that had "caught" Felix's flying body. There was also a bit of laughter and pointing from those who had avoided the fray.

Aro clapped his hands joyfully and the other two gave each other small smiles and spoke again, this time in what I could only assume was Latin or a derivative because there were a few words that I understood from my Italian studies. "Unexpected" and "Encouraging" were two that stood out as they nodded to one another.

"Well done Angel!" Heidi jumped up and down in an excited manner. Not the thanks I was expecting. Why wasn't she ready to fight? Why was she acting like there was nothing wrong? Weren't we still in trouble!?!

"Bella! Deck 2! Reist! You have shown more control of his power than he has. Spoon bending and whatnot, but to throw up a barrier when you don't even know him let alone his potential? Excellently done!" Aro looked smug, as if the other two had been expecting a different outcome. "Did you know what you were about to do?"

I shook my head with confusion. Where was all of the animosity of a few seconds ago? Whatever happened to "you have failed us for the last time?" Heidi was holding my shoulders and bouncing up and down. "She knew what she was doing. I just know it. I saw it in her eyes!" Heidi smiled like an idiot and continued her excited childish bouncing. Felix was disentangling himself from the group of vampires that I had thrown him into and grumbling about being everyone's "whipping boy."

"That's enough Heidi. Felix. Bella?" Aro asked me with a smile. He was asking me again if I knew how I had accomplished my feat of mental strength.

Even as the old immortal asked the question I knew the answer was right there. I had known. There was a catalogue in my head of every power that I had felt when we were on the ground, and every single one was at my disposal if I reached out for it and kept my head. As long as I didn't take in too much I was almost certain that I could take on more. Another thing that dawned on me was that I had done it again! I had shown myself to them. Crafty old monsters with their plotting and intrigue and Heidi! She tricked me! I rounded on the woman and shot her a glare. "You were all pretending to be upset with Heidi!"

"Don't be angry Bella! We just wanted to see how you would react under stress. You know…if you thought you were in danger like your fight with Felix. Then we staged my "betrayal" to see what would happen if you wanted to protect someone else. We didn't mean to hurt you." Heidi looked sincere, but the situation remained. They had all lied to me. "Now answer Lord Aro's question…" She looked at me with excited and hesitant eyes.

"Yes…I knew." There was no point in lying. I was a horrible liar. Felix jogged over in a few seconds and ruffled my hair like a brother would to a sister. His upper body was completely naked because I had destroyed his shirt with my claws. He gave me a small hug and I pushed away quickly not wanting to be all sisterly with him right after he attacked me twice.

"Well. That does change a bit of your planning doesn't it Marcus? Here you thought that she wouldn't be of use, a newborn with only instinct to drive her! You see! Fifteen hours later and she's a veritable master. I admit she isn't much in a physical fight, she's just like any other young vampire in that respect; but that matters very little in the battle ahead of us! I knew my Bella was a very special child. She's going to be one of my very favorite offspring, I just know it." Aro crowed. I looked to the floor as I felt all of the scrutiny hit me.

There were people in the room that were seriously considering me now. I was no longer just a curiosity to be ignored. I had done a lot of astonishing stuff in the last 24 hours, and by my calculations this was the most injurious. Aro had praised me beyond measure and there was now jealously all around me. I could see it in their eyes, because it wasn't just Aro. Marcus and Caius were legitimately excited about me now. Freakishly powerful and adapting quickly to my monstrous nature I was a freak amongst freaks. I ducked my head and felt waves of fear crashing over me. What would I have to do to break free? Would I be kept against my will or would I even want to leave them? I had grown strangely attached to my Volteran father. It scared me. I was sure my eyes were black with fear and venom pooled at my throat signaling my never ending thirst.

Aro must have picked up on my need because he was signaling to the two of us to move along. "Bella…You are hungry again. You must use a lot of energy to keep yourself going. What you do is difficult on your system. Heidi…Please get our little ingénue some more sustenance." Aro said affectionately as he gestured to the mostly destroyed set of cabinets. Heidi led me to the steam table which had been dented in my fight with Felix, and began unpacking the blood. It fell out of the plastic in the shape of a rounded cube-ish rectangle. Felix poked it from behind me and laughed.

"Bloodsicle?" Heidi smiled and I screwed up my face at the very thought of cold blood. Felix laughed at the face I was making and put his finger up to wipe off the liquid onto my nose. I could smell the blood on it and I let my tongue dart out to quickly lick the tip. I was right, cold blood wasn't very good. I made another face and both of them broke into laughter as the steam began to thaw the quenching liquid and I felt the hunger taking over once again. The thought of warm blood wasn't much of a comfort in that I wasn't really all that excited about my strong desire for the fluid. I was sure that I was feeding more than a newborn should need to feed. "I'm sorry I played with your emotions. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It was all in the name of science."

"Nazis did things in the name of science. It doesn't make them less wrong." I mumbled.

"Bella Cullen! I'm trying to apologize." Heidi smiled and said with mock hurt.

"Trying would be the operative word." I mumbled again. My hunger was making me a bit cranky, and my desire to be home with my family was causing my Edward sized hole to ache. Not to mention the fact that it had been forever since I had heard his voice in my head. He had told me to sleep. Perhaps that is what had removed Edward from my mind…the trance that I had gone into to meet with Alice. "You're failing miserably."

"Somebody is really hungry!" Felix ruffled my hair as he taunted me.

"Stuff it up your…" I began threateningly.

"Lords Aro, Marcus, and Caius. We are nearing Port Angeles…we will be there in an hour. All of your plans have been put into motion. The town of Forks is being evacuated as we speak. It should take them three or four hours at most to empty the town." Another vampire I didn't know had come in to speak with the head of the Volturi. He was dark for a vampire and I could imagine that at one time his skin had been a dark chocolate brown…now it was more like café au lait…hold most of the coffee. He was another beautiful face amongst many.

"Thank you Devon. We will prepare to disembark." Aro spoke passively and gave the man a fond brush of fingers against his cheek. They were very close…I could see that from their display…I wondered briefly if this was another of my siblings. Carlisle and I were brother and sister! What a concept! I couldn't concentrate. The scent of blood was thick in my nose and I swallowed reflexively against the venom and the anticipation. Heidi pulled the bowl from the steam oven and I ripped the bowl from her hands.

I officially didn't care if I was being rude or messy. The hot metal actually felt warm against my hands and I sighed against the feel of the liquid running down my throat. It was as if I'd been in the desert and I'd been given the purest water on the planet, glacially refreshing. The sweet energy returned to my body and then some. I felt revitalized, and almost alive. I had never felt this way before…not even when I had fed from the buck. Something was different, and with each deep pull I became more suspicious and greedy. The fire was gone; totally…for the first time ever it ceased to be.

"Stop…Stop…STOP!" Edward roared in my head. He was always insistent, coaxing, sweet, or angry when he was in my head. He must not have disappeared completely and that comforted me. These words were filled with fear though and I was immediately filled with revulsion. "HUMAN!"

I gasped and let the bowl fall from my fingers. There was nothing left to splash against the floor. I had drunk every last drop. It was official. I was a monster. Not just because of the blood that I had just ingested with pure longing…but because I had enjoyed it. It was a horrible and unstoppable part of my nature to feed on blood. Now I knew that there could be an end to my constant thirst. There was a solution to my suffering and hunger that I took with me throughout my existence now and it was the lifeblood of the human race.

Now that I had fed upon human blood I was uncertain if I could live forever without it. The feeling was stamped on my essence, and I would remember it even if I lived to be five hundred. The connection to my very soul lived inside of their human bodies, and I wanted nothing more than to stay with the Volturi now so that I could trap that sensation inside of myself forever. I was alive again…just for a second…and I had no idea how much I missed that feeling until I was alone with it, hollow and dead again.

I looked up at the two vampires with me and Felix looked down at the bag he'd been playing with. He read it with nervous eyes. "Type O…human blood. Heidi what have you done?" He looked back into my face with a sort of interested askance in his eyes.

"Oh…OH! God! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying any attention!" Heidi put her hands up over her mouth as she shook her head, and then on my shoulders, but I pushed her away. The horror must have still been on my face because she tried again to touch me.

"DON'T!" I curled up on the floor and shook with the weight of my unwanted knowledge. I thought of Lillith and how she must have felt draining the essence of Cain. How she must have been horrified and complete all at the same time. It was how I felt hollow and full. "Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me! You're lying to me again. You did this on purpose! You did it to hurt me." I believed it too. She was jealous…like the others. She was angry at me for taking Aro's focus away from her.

"I would never do that!" Heidi gasped as she lay down next to me and made a move to take my hand. I immediately pulled away and hissed threateningly at her. "Please believe me Bella. I would never hurt you because it was something I wanted to do." This, I believed. Her eyes seemed too honest to be lying.

"Not, I would never hurt you, but I would never hurt you because I wanted to." I looked at her with pain on my face and in my voice. "If they told you to kill me you would…wouldn't you?"

Heidi's eyes filled with a deep sorrow and she spoke in a whisper, "I would kill you if they wished me to, yes." I was ready for this answer…but nothing had prepared me for the feeling of anguish that went with it. I had believed them to be my friends…but there was no love in Volterra…only position and power plays. Even the soaring sensation of living again that the human blood gave me was not worth losing my humanity. If I had to give up the meaning of life…the feeling of it was useless to me. This is the reason the Cullen family didn't drink human blood. This is what separated Edward from Heidi and Felix…he and his family made the choice to be as human as they could. Now it was my turn. Could I make the decision to never feel that way again? No wonder they were always falling off the wagon! Poor Jasper!

I was lifted off of the floor by Felix and placed once again on the couch next to Carmen who I let touch my hair. Soon she was stroking my head and looking up at Felix with a worried expression. Heidi stayed across the room from me…giving me time to calm down…or giving me space so that I wouldn't attack her. I couldn't be sure. Aro was speaking to her in rapid quiet speech. Low enough that I couldn't hear, so I tuned myself out.

I could feel how close we were now. I would be home in a matter of hours. The sun was rising, and I could see the hues of early morning grey through the windows on the plane. I knew intrinsically that it was morning. Something in my body seemed to awaken with the rising of the sun. It felt like a fake feeling of rest coming to an end. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. No one seemed willing to bother me.

"Angel?" Felix spoke quietly and took my hand as I slowly looked up at him. I had been lying silently without thought or feeling for at least an hour. The power of human blood was still thick in my system. The plane had landed, and everyone but the three Volturi heads, Felix, Carmen, Heidi, and I remained. I had heard them all leaving…and in some cases I felt them go beyond the reach of my abilities and removed themselves from the book of power inside of me. "We're ready to move. Aro, Caius, and Marcus want to meet with everyone first, then we're going together to find your family." He expected me to be happy. I just laid there wishing I could wind back the time and stop myself from gaining carnal knowledge. Hindsight is so fifty-fifty.

"I'm coming." I said slowly and pushed myself from the couch and Carmen's hands. I grabbed my bags that Felix had brought to me and slipped into new clothes as everyone watched. I couldn't even bother myself to care. I was still feeling emotionally broken. The light shirt and skirt that Julian had made for me fit perfectly, but it didn't matter.

"Please Bella. Know that I didn't mean to hurt you." Heidi was talking to me again, but she didn't try to touch me. She exited the plane before I could say anything to her.

"Please forgive Heidi her mistake Bella. She was simply forgetful, and it was not malice that brought her to give you that blood. It was an error…pure and simple. I have seen it in her mind." Aro took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles and I understood that he meant that he'd looked into her mind to see her thoughts. He led me toward the door as the rest watched me depart. The stairs led once again into the sea of Volturi. When the others had joined us Aro made a speech that I didn't pay any attention to on any conscious level, although I could bring it into my mind easily if I tried to remember it. No wonder school was so easy for the Cullen family, they had perfect recall of everything around them, and now so did I.

I watched as Felix kneeled down and kissed his master's hands. "Now, I have a surprise Bella." Aro whispered to me. A cloak made of dark soft material was thrown out and over my shoulders and I internally panicked. I didn't want to be part of them…I didn't want to live in servitude to an endless thirst. The three smiled at me with wicked smirks, but didn't reach out to touch me. Obviously they had noticed that it was easier for me to take their power if I was touching them.

Aro spoke aloud to the throng of Vampires behind me. "They will go together to ferret out our prey. I believe they will be surprised to find Bella alive and whole. When we have arrived I expect a quick victory. She will hold back their abilities and we will be victorious. Felix, Bella, go now and be ready to win our war."

Felix rose from the ground and I followed nervously. He broke into a run and I stayed close as we ran through the crowd. The power had surged back and I struggled with it again as I accidentally brushed hands and bodies with my own. Sometimes I would lose the fight and energy would flow over me in a way I couldn't control. When I fell to my knees against that same power that had broken me before and caused me to lose control against my bloodlust Felix picked me up and ran quickly away with me in his protective arms. I closed my eyes yet again and as Felix carried me I decided I would accept Heidi's apology. It was easier and easier for me to believe it was a mistake as the blood left my system. It caused me to act unnaturally.

Felix and I stole a little black Toyota with a broken front window. It was in poor shape and only went just over one hundred miles an hour and shook the whole time. He and I sat in silence as we sped down the 101. "Will they have set up a barrier or something?"

"Yeah. They even threw a few trucks on the road so that it looked like a pretty bad accident. It was pure genius for Heidi to think of that…don't you think so?" He was prompting me to forgive the woman we had left behind with the rest.

"Save it. I'm not mad anymore. I just have a lot to think about." I admitted to Felix.

"You don't know what you're giving up until you try it huh?" The head of the Volturi guard asked me with total understanding. "Now you know."

"I wish I didn't. It was easier when I didn't understand." I sat with my eyes focused on the scenery that I should have probably known…but didn't. As we finally came to the accident both Felix and I abandoned the car and I grabbed my luggage. A soft wind was blowing and rain fell from the sky. I tilted my head back and enjoyed the smell that I didn't even know that I had kept inside. Forks. It smelled like home. The forest, the rain, I could smell the grass and the soil and the moss. I took it in and every time I thought I was finished I would find something else that I recalled in my olfactory that remembered this place. We were only a few short miles from Edward's home. I was desperate to be in his arms again, desperate to see his family. Last but not least…I was desperate for a shower.

These feelings always creep up on you at the strangest times…but I truly wanted to take a shower. I hadn't showered yet, and I could still smell the lingering scent of my humanity. I wondered if this would bother Edward? I would use Edward's shower…maybe I could kill two birds with one stone. I had no objections to his joining me in the shower. The rest of the family could wait. Edward and shower…shower and Edward…Edward in shower. I shivered in anticipation.

"Can I borrow your brain for one second?" Felix looked at me with impatience. Had he been talking to me? "We need to establish where the Volturi are in regards to this spot so that I can send for them. I took us down the highway…but the fastest route is probably overland in a straight line over the mountains. Would you agree?"

"I'm not sure. I've never run over mountains before. Is it important to know before they commit? I could ask Edward. He would know best." I said with barely restrained excitement.

"You've got Cullen on the brain. Fine. We'll go and get what information we can, and then I'm going to have to report back." Felix said with a growing smile. "You're like a puppy. If you had a tail it would be all over the place."

"I'm home Felix! Really truly home!" My feet began the journey to the mansion in the woods. I knew how to get there with my eyes closed for some reason. It was like I had every inch of where I was headed branded into my brain. I launched my bag over the Sol Duc river and then jumped. There was less than two hundred feet till my destination and as I ran through the trees I became aware of a different scent than fern and moss…I smelled the reek of a burning building. I knew wood smoke. The smell was sweet and reminded me of Christmas with Renee. I remembered Christmas with Renee! How sweet.

Felix stopped dead in his tracks and threw his arm out to stop me. We both stood in horror at what was ahead of us. My home. The house I was going to share with my beloved Edward was leaping with flames. I stood rooted for a second with my feet refusing to catch up with my brain and propel me forward. I let out a terrible scream. My heart was filled with terror. This was not how it was supposed to be.

My feet suddenly took flight along with my brain. If Edward and his family had been burned then I would just have to go with them. There was no point to this existence if Edward weren't with me. I didn't want immortality…I wanted Edward forever. I tried not to picture him in the flames, but I couldn't look away. The fire was so hot that I could see it breaking windows. I wondered what it would feel like to me to burn alive now that I had such durable skin. Would I have to tear myself apart to burn properly?

My sobbing had started from the moment my feet began to move. On some level I knew that, but I paid no attention to the shuddering of my chest against my invisible tears. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye but I only had eyes for the fires of my hell, so when a body crashed into my own and I went tumbling to the side end over end I thought it must be Felix. I thrashed against his hold on me until I looked up into the two pools of liquid topaz that I saw every time I closed my eyes.

"Bella…it's only a house…we're safe. It's okay. Shhhh. It's over." I swear my heart restarted. I blinked up at the only heaven I would ever know, and it was thinking in my head. _'I have never felt so complete in my life. She's the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Look at her eyes! Gorgeous! She seems so confused.'_ He thought I was beautiful…he didn't hate my eyes.

"Didn't you…" He hadn't even spoken two words and I did the first thing that came to mind. The first thing that always came to mind when I was with him…I kissed him. Passionately, so that he could see we were together and that not even time and distance could tear us apart. Edward…continued to think. _'This is exactly how I've always wanted us to be. She is as much my equal as I could ever have expected, beautiful and strong. She's so perfect, and hopefully still mine. I hope that she can still love me after everything I've done…and everything I've failed to do for her.'_

"Shut up, stop thinking, and kiss me Edward." I needed to get his power off. I didn't want to steal from him. It seemed wrong to pry into his private thoughts, especially when they were so geared toward me. He was thinking such lovely things though. How could he even think that I wasn't completely and irrevocably in love with him? How could he doubt me now that I was this?

'_The voices are gone.' _He didn't actually seem all that disturbed about it. In fact it gave him a bit of a thrill, and I felt his hands traveling over my skin as he began to kiss me in earnest running his fingers through my hair and over the swell of my hip.

I was about to disengage from him so that I could concentrate enough to get rid of his power when I heard a jumble of sound in my head. Alice was thinking about how awful it was to loose so many designer clothes. Rosalie was irritated about the loss of her wedding dress. Emmett was thoroughly pissed at Esme who had jumped into the burning house to save Carlisle's cross. Esme…was thinking about how angry Carlisle was going to be when he got home and found out she had jumped into a burning building for what was by in large a piece of furniture. Charlie was thinking about the fire department…OH GOD! I thanked the Lord that the fire was still blowing enough smoke to dull my sharp senses. I would have attacked him without it's help. Why did he have to be here?

Edward continued to kiss me senseless as we listened to Charlie rant. "Holy Crap! Mrs. Cullen you should have called the fire department, not that they are going to come. We're evacuating Forks because of a chemical spill up north. Time is of the essence here. Something about a styrene leak. Everybody needs to get out of here."

I shuddered as I got a whiff of his scent. He was so very human…and I was already so very hungry. I hid from the cloying scent of his blood as I whispered his name. "Charlie…" It hurt that I couldn't hug my father. That I was too much of a monster to even come near him. "Edward…get me away from here. I can't be here. Not now. I don't want to hurt Charlie." He nodded his head and picked us both up as he sprinted into the woods.

I held on to him and breathed his scent into my very being as I tried to give him back the voices in his head. I could hear that Charlie wanted to call over to La Push…that the other Deputies were there to clear out the Reservation. There was no styrene leak, but it was still important for the residents of La Push to get out. We couldn't save them from the Volturi if they did indeed decide to stay. I had done my best to protect them. Now it was up to Sam…but we needed to get into contact with the pack. Maybe I could convince them to leave. No…they would want to fight…but who? Who would they fight? Most of the Volturi were not vegetarians. All things considered I have only been a vampire for a few short days and my "diet" was already in question. Speaking of Jacob I heard his voice.

"What the hell is going on over at the Cullen's place, fire is leaping off that big old house of theirs and Charlie came with no fire trucks. That's real helpful. What's he gonna' do? Spit on it?" Jacob's voice in my head was just as I had hoped I remembered it as, soft and smooth. However I couldn't help but laugh at the things he was thinking.

"What are you thinking?" Edward was asking my favorite question, but for once he was blocked from the rest of the world as well. I focused and he half tripped as the voices disappeared from my head. I assume the resurgence of his ability had surprised him.

"It wasn't what I was thinking…It was what Jacob was thinking. I couldn't help myself...he's so funny. He's just like I hope I remembered." I confessed to my memory loss. Edward's expression was one of pain. I couldn't allow him to suffer and so I continued to speak, "Look on the bright side…I remembered you before I did anything else. I breathed and I remembered you. That's a pretty good sign for you." I let my fingers trail over his chest.

"I still can't hear you in my head." He said with mild disappointment. "I was hoping that would change. I've always wondered how sweet your voice would sound in my head." He was still running into the forest and when he deemed we were far enough away he placed my feet gently onto the ground before he regarded me. "You're wonderful. Exquisite."

"I heard." I smiled up at him nervously and added, "Please don't be upset with me. I can't control it very well yet."

"Upset? Bella, that's an absurd notion. Are you kidding? You're amazing. That was the most silence I've enjoyed around other people since nineteen eighteen. It's been a very long time since I could enjoy the company of others without their thoughts invading. I adore you for giving me that…not just as my silent love…but with others now too. You're an angel." He pushed my back against a tall oak and I shuddered slightly at the way his eyes studied me as if his only thoughts were of what we could be doing together. "Please. Ask me. Ask me again Bella."

I knew exactly what he meant. It wasn't hard to remember that. Our clumsy attempt at finding sexual satisfaction as a human and a vampire was a sweet memory that I had somehow kept. He had asked me the very same question that night and I had said no. For the sake of his soul I had said no. Was that still the case now? He would still be committing some kind of sin if we were to continue. We still weren't married…I couldn't believe I was going to say this…

"I can't." I looked up at him in absolute agony. "Different time same reasons...you know why not."

"To hell with it…I'm going to end up where I end up. I need you." His lips crashed against mine and I locked my legs around his hips and let a small groan of irritation and passion pass my lips. I wanted him too, and now we didn't have to be gentle. I was looking forward to not being breakable in his arms. I was a serious pushover. He didn't even have to say a word. My resolve was broken with the promise of his hands on my skin.

His fingers began to slowly caress up my thighs and I felt him bring the fabric of my skirt up over my hips. I STILL wasn't wearing any underwear, and right now that was a very good thing.

His attention to that detail wasn't missed by either of us as his fingers traced up and down the naked flesh of my hips and my spine. His eyebrow went up and he looked at me with unmasked passion at his realization. Nothing to hold us back now but his clothes. He looked into my eyes and whispered to me, "This is the sweetest torture I have ever known. Let me have you. Ask me again and we can end this mutual suffering."

I had a very good idea about what was going to happen next. "Please Edward. Please make love to me." He responded to my words immediately. We were spontaneously all lips and teeth and gasping and touching.

In some immeasurable moments his hands found themselves between us to open the front of his jeans. I could feel his stiffened member pressed between us. We were going to do this. My breath came out in pants and when his knuckle accidentally brushed the core of my sex I shuddered and groaned aloud in anticipation for him to be inside me.

He answered, my groan with his own vocalization…that was simply irritation and culminated in him yelling at an unknown person behind me. "Good LORD! Can't anyone understand the word PRIVACY?" I unhooked my legs and pulled my skirt down very quickly but Edward did not stop holding me with his arms.

"I understand the word Edward…but we just don't have time for fornication right now." Alice skipped up to us and ruffled Edward's hair. He growled at her. "Bella…it's wonderful to see you again…in person!" She smiled and I growled at her too. "Come on you guys. You can't possibly expect to run off together into the forest leaving us with Felix to have sex. That wasn't a very good trade Bella. Where's the pleasure in that for me? Oh, and you dropped this." Alice held out the cloak that had been given to me by Aro. Great…it was following me around now.

"OH! I completely forgot about Felix for a second there." I wished I was telling a lie, but I had legitimately forgotten him. My eyes were for Edward only. He gave me his crooked grin and I realized that he understood exactly what had happened. I placed the cloak back over my shoulders and looked between my sister and my love. "Alice…is Charlie gone?" I asked the question as a whisper, but she heard me clearly. Our hearing was impeccable.

Her hand brushed hair out of my face and she gave me a sad smile. Alice might already know what had happened on the plane. She might already know about my slip up. I was immediately nervous that she would speak out but she just addressed my question. "Yes. He's gone on to La Push. Unfortunately we're going to have to come up with some way to fool them into not noticing that half of their people aren't evacuating." My sister stated without further thought but then looked at me and asked a question of her own. "What does this mean?" She fingered the dark material between her fingers and looked troubled.

"I'm not really sure Alice. I don't want to be a part of the Volturi, but for now…I have a debt to repay to them for saving me." I spoke quietly as I took her hand into mine.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to love. We'll stop them from hurting you." Edward growled possessively and clutched my shoulders to his perfect body. I shuddered.

"For now…it's the best we can do with everything going against our favor. Charlie needs to get out of here and not worry so much about the werewolves that "spill" isn't going to hurt them." Alice spoke exactly the words that were on my mind and already knew our plan it seemed.

"Is it a good idea not to get them out Alice? Styrene would still be dangerous for the wolves." Edward seemed to contemplate the issue with his endless medical knowledge. "I'm certain it would be bad for them."

"There's no leak. The Volturi called the CDC and the EPA and created the illusion of the disaster. It probably would have been easier for them to do what they wanted in the first place…which was to kill everyone in the city and pretend that it was typhus or something…but I can't stand the idea of either Renee or Charlie dying like that. Even Mike Newton deserves the opportunity to run and scream." I looked up at Edward with a smile and repeated his long used comment and had also remembered Mike Newton. I was on a roll. "I could never get that part right. Maybe if they had said 'styrene' instead of 'vampire' I might have given the correct reaction."

Alice put her hand up to our shoulders and began to push us along. "We can do all of that later. I'll even let you run and scream if you want, but right now I have left a member of the Volturi with Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett. Now, I know it doesn't sound like a problem, but think about Esme's nerves and Emmett with someone that could start a war in the same space all together. I'm not leaving you alone either…I don't trust you right now. You're both very 'get a room-y."

I walked hand in hand with Edward but our hands seemed to pass between the two of our bodies without reason. He would kiss my knuckle, I would hug his arm. He would caress my hair, I would lick his wrist. It seemed like we couldn't stand to be away from each other for even a second, and I loved each brush of his hand. Each time my love would stop walking to crush me against him I felt Alice's impatience grow a small bit. I felt the same way, impatient. I wanted to see him without all of those restraining clothes. I wanted to touch every inch of him while he touched every inch of me…and my shower! Now what would I do? Edward's shower was out of the picture. He would look absolutely glorious with all those water droplets all over his body.

I kept trying to imagine it and Alice stumbled when I got a flash of an image where he and I were indeed kissing and touching in a shower that I thought I knew. It was in Charlie's house! Yeah! We could go there and I could still get my shower…and PANTS! Unless Charlie was so mad at me he threw all my clothes away I could still wear my jeans with a belt, and my underwear, because the interesting silky nightmares that Heidi had bought weren't underwear. Edward interrupted my visual moment when he looked back at Alice, took her hand, and spoke, "I've never seen you stumble without a vision before. Alice? Are you alright?"

"Ask your power stealer!" She skipped ahead of me, poked me in the ribs quickly and then grabbed my face in her hands. "What did we learn about borrowing Alice's visions? Hmm?"

"That I was going to get a shower!" I said without hesitation pulling out of Alice's grip while jumping into Edwards arms with a very naughty grin that he immediately shared with me.

"No!" She started to laugh her bell like laugh and clutched her sides as she spoke. "No, I mean what did we learn last time?"

"No unsupervised use of Alice's powers. It makes her clueless, cranky, and could be otherwise fatal to the family." I curled into Edward's arms and he clutched me to him protectively.

"Which reminds me, Bella, you seem to be adapting to the powers very well. That didn't seem all that hard for you and they seem to be back now without any of the drama from before, which is truly a shame as I would love to visit that strange room again. Either way I can't help but notice that you're doing better." Alice bantered with her finger pressed against her lips in thought.

It really hadn't been hard, but I was still running off human fuel. I was pretty sure that the situation would change when I had gone back to deer. Should I tell them? Would they think less of me? Certainly Edward would understand about my accident? I pushed away from Edward and stepped lightly onto the forest floor and stopped walking which caused them both to stop. "It isn't really easy at all. I've been getting better, but I can't be sure if I'm better at what I'm doing, or if it's because of Heidi's mistake."

I looked between them and then back to the ground before Edward took my hand. "It doesn't matter…" He held my face up and looked into my eyes. "Look at me Bella. It doesn't matter to me what "mistakes" anyone has made. I'm here with you now. There is nothing that you could do that would anger or disappoint us. We're your family. We've all made similar mistakes."

"I just felt so horrible. It was impossible to stop…and before I could stop the bowl was completely empty." I looked directly into Edward's eyes and then Alice's. I wanted them to see that I was sorry.

"Please don't look like that. If anything…I'm feeling guilty that I wasn't there to stop them. It's as I feared then…you've been feeding from humans right? It would be foolish of us to believe that they would attend to you in any ways that…bowl?" He looked completely confused. Alice did too, and I assumed that meant she hadn't been witness to my failure.

"Yes…it was frozen. Heidi grabbed the wrong bag because she was too busy talking to Felix and I and she thawed it out in the steam oven. When it was finished I just chugged it down because Felix had just attacked me and I had made this weird invisible wall and it just seemed to drain me of my strength…." I was talking quickly in my haste for them to understand and get this over with. They were both speaking at once for a second.

Edward growled low in his throat and muttered, "I'll kill him myself."

Alice said something that surprised me. "Well la di dah!" Alice put a limp wristed hand in the air and walked in a circle. "Somebody has been seeing how the other half live!"

"Alice, please! This is obviously something that is hurting her. Try to be understanding for a second. Bella love…I assume then that all of that came from a blood bank." Edward gave me a comforting smile as he spoke.

"Yeah…well the sheep blood was from a slaughter house…but the human blood had to have been from a bank. It was catalogued." I played with the fingers of my hand and I absently spun my ring on my finger as I mused out loud to his statement.

He spun Alice around and set her gently on the ground and then did the same to me. "They weren't hurting you! They haven't been forcing you! I was terrified that you were afraid of telling me that they had been forcing human blood on you! I thought that was why you hung up on me in the forest!" Edward's eyes were alight with joy as he rushed through the words.

"Oh. They did! Gianna…you remember the secretary? They threw her in the room with me the instant after I was up and walking around. Now that I think about it they must have been watching from a camera or something to have "known" that I was up. Then I broke out of the cell with her and we walked up to the room the three of us visited before and Aro killed her and the blood did smell wonderful. I wanted to…I really did…but I had your voice in my head stopping me. I've been kind of crazy this whole time." Once again the two of them spoke.

Edward looked sadly at me and said, "They should never have gotten you away from me. I have failed you so greatly. Forgive me."

Alice was speaking much the same, "I didn't see them come for you and I didn't see any of the other things that happened. I've been absolutely miserable. Can you ever forgive me?"

They both stopped and smiled at each other before looking back at me worriedly. "There is nothing to forgive." I said quietly.

Edward pulled me into a tight hug, but it was Alice who spoke to me. "There is nothing for you to forgive either. You made it sound like you were attacking school kids in the streets. You drank blood from a bag that was steamed to perfection." I looked at my sister from the protection of Edward's arms and Alice rolled her eyes at me before continuing. "No moral dilemma there!"

I interrupted before she could further downplay the scene, "but I LIKED it Alice. It felt like I was alive again. I truly wondered how I could return to having animals when it could feel like that for me." Edward picked me up again and began walking again after what must have been a mental cue from Alice. He stroked my hair and it comforted me against my own spoken revelations.

"I told you that it was hard to live like this. You would have learned eventually. You would have ultimately made your own mistakes…and I would have held your hand just the same. Bella, my love, it's part of who we are. There is no shame in me for what you are. We have to move forward and I want to do that with you. All we have to look forward to now is a peaceful life together." Edward spoke soothingly.

"No…not yet. We'll have peace, but we're going to have to work with the Volturi if we ever want that to come about." I whispered with a sad certainty.

"What can they want with us?" Alice questioned aloud.

"Nothing Alice…that's just it…the true Volturi didn't come for me. Aro saved my…life…sort of. They are dealing with a coup d'état from within. That group wants to take over and create a new order to the way we live. They want to make examples of us because of the way you feed and the fact that Edward was in love with me. Right now we are in very great danger. The true Volturi are on the way, but the army led by Jane and Alec is already here. They could attack at any time!" I looked up at Edward with fear in my eyes and there was no mistaking that he was sharing my fear.

As we neared the house we all heard a jumble of noises and what sounded to be a fight. I struggled out of Edward's arms and ran for the clearing that was around their burning home. If this was the fight I had just been talking about I would do my best…and even if I failed I would have tried. When the three of us broke through the foliage I gasped at what I saw. Jacob and Felix were rolling on the ground and quite clearly in a fight for their lives. "NO!" I screamed for the second time that day in terror and ran to save two friends from each other.

I


	14. Coming Together

Escaping Sol

Coming Together

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma15177

This chapter is probably the hardest chapter I've had to write, and for me the most heart pulling…I've once said that Jacob's only crime in loving Bella was that he wasn't Edward, which isn't a crime at all. I stand by that even though I'm a firm believer in the BXE ship. Jacob is a great guy and he has had a lot foisted on him in my story in the last few hours. I kind of wanted to start writing from Jacob's POV, but it seemed wrong to add him after all this time of going between Edward and Bella without him. Maybe I'll write a companion piece…I'm not sure.

As always, Twilight isn't my creation.

I want to thank everyone that has been reading, reviewing, and making me a favorite. You guys all make it worthwhile. I live for your suggestions and comments. They are beyond helpful!

Also, I wanted to thank my husband for doing my beta, and Jexena for pre-reading and giving me her thoughts. She's been an excellent sounding board for this story, and I can't thank her enough for her time and comments!

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EPOV

There was a loud yelp of pain from the wolf that was Jacob. I watched as Bella ran toward the large dog and the Volturi guardsman. Seconds after the start of her mad dash I took off to catch her. She was going in to save Jacob from Felix…or maybe she was saving Felix from Jacob…but either way I didn't want her getting anywhere near the fighting fists of Felix or the biting teeth of Jacob.

"STOP!" Bella screamed at the two and they broke apart for a few seconds and it was just long enough for them to reevaluate their position to fall upon each other again. She was too close even now. It was possible that either one of them could hurt her. Felix gave the wolf in front of him a very nasty smile as he threw a hand full of what seemed to be sand into the large dog's eyes and started forward…and to my great surprise immediately fell to his knees, followed by a confused Emmett, who was quickly tended to by a very worried Rosalie.

"Emmett? Emmett! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Rosalie worried aloud. I was nearly there, less than ten feet away now from the three figures in front of me. Jacob was already blindly going forward when Bella made herself into a human shield of sorts between Jacob and Felix.

"Bella! MOVE!" Esme screamed as she ran toward us, cross still clutched against her chest. I was too far away…there was nothing I could do…too slow. Jacob's teeth came down around Bella's shoulder, neck, and arm. A sound like rending metal came to my ears and I roared in fury, which is what led Jacob to realize he had missed his intended target. He heard my voice.

Bella screamed as Jacob's teeth bit into her flesh and immediately his jaws let go. The damage was done though, he had definitely bit her and she stood looking at him for a second before she half fell, half sat on the ground. The Jacob wolf too sat in a sort of stunned silence for a second before letting out a whine and pawing at his irritated eyes to get a look at who he had hurt. I wrapped myself protectively around my love's shoulder and continued growling menacingly as if daring either one of them to move an inch in her direction.

"I don't think the extra strength helped that hurt less." Bella said quietly to herself in a distracted and scared voice. Both Emmett and Felix were off their knees again…but I was too busy trying to peel back the torn fabric of Bella's shirt to look at her wound to care one way or the other. The marks were already mostly gone, Jacob had not had the chance to do any horrible damage, but she was absolutely shivering in fear. I hissed as someone began to approach, leaning even further into my love's body, and immediately felt bad when I saw that it was my sister Alice, but I didn't stop my possessive hiss.

Alice began to shout over my inarticulate warnings, "What the hell were you thinking Bella?" Despite the danger being over she stayed away from the two of us as I continued to growl and my love continued to shake. Jacob was still sitting…confused. His mind was trying desperately to place the situation in front of him. Esme took a bucket from our earlier efforts and began to clear the werewolf's eyes. Alice began to pace angrily as she reamed Bella for her actions. "Jacob could have killed you! I don't think you realize how horribly that could have ended!" My sister continued to scold her best friend. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" I wasn't sure if I had ever heard my pixie sister scream like that at anyone.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt…" Bella's voice was still shaking. She threw her arms around me and my eyes closed against the anger that seemed to swell against Bella for putting herself in such danger. She still seemed so fragile…and why did she always have to put herself in the most untenable of situations? Why would anyone place themselves between two people who were fighting? Let alone a vampire guard in the Volturi and a six foot tall dog monster?

"You failed." I heard the harsh words leave my mouth and wished I could take them back, because when she looked up at me it was with a look that I knew was reserved for her fear of losing me. The anger fell away and was replaced with a need to comfort. "Please. Love. Having you here and alive is everything to me. I just got you back…and Jacob would never forgive himself for hurting you. Please be more careful. I know you are new to this existence, but you know enough from your human life to know that Jacob's people can kill us."

Her head nodded against my chest. My love's sweet voice was muffled by the fabric of my shirt, "I'm sorry Edward. I just didn't want them to hurt each other. What if Felix hurt Jacob? I would never be able to forgive myself."

"I'm really glad you were worried about me Angel. I'm touched." The large Volturi bodyguard smiled and walked forward to ruffle my Bella's hair. She scowled and continued.

"No, it's not like that. I just wanted to protect them. I thought that if I had both Felix's and Emmett's strength my skin would be tougher." She looked at Jacob whose eyes were still not completely clear and gave a lame smile. "I suppose I was wrong."

"How the hell would you come to that conclusion?" Rosalie's scowling voice intruded as she stood over us and my mother continued to clean out Jacob's eyes. "Take it from someone who just watched her husband's arm get torn off in battle. He's strong…but he's not invulnerable, and keep your abilities to yourself if you're going to hurt him!" She growled and I returned the favor. My lip curled back reflexively and Emmett hauled Rosalie behind him as Bella restrained my arms.

"Awww…Kid. Look at you! You look even paler than usual. A little sun might clear that up! Don't tell anybody…but I think there might be a vampire amongst us." My large brother spoke with a smile. Emmett kneeled next to our entwined forms and threw his arms around Bella and me in a brotherly hug. "Rose doesn't mean anything by it…she's just really high strung today. We had a bad morning. Someone attacked us and then somebody else burned the house down. They might just be related items…not sure." He looked directly into Bella's eyes while wiggling his eyebrows and faux whispered conspiratorially to her, "Rose, she was so worried about you! You should have seen what a basket case she's been. What a mess everyone here has been. Thank you for being okay." He leaned his head down on her shoulder and I felt him heave a sigh. "Never do something like that again alright?"

"I won't Emmett. At least I'll try…you'll always know where I am." I saw Bella smile and she ran a comforting hand over his hair. Alice walked over and hugged Bella from behind as her worry faded and gave way to relief. It was fast becoming a strange group hug.

"What the Hell does that mean?" Rosalie was obviously still shaken up and she was quick to dissect the last statement out of Bella's mouth. Nevertheless, she kneeled next to her husband and took Bella's cheek in her hand and smoothed her thumb over its apple. She really did gaze at my love with a fond look on her face, and I knew that Rosalie had already forgiven her.

"I…" Bella tried desperately to gather her thoughts. I saw her look at Felix and back to the ground in an instant. Alice gasped and I saw a vision in her mind of Aro walking away from us with his hand around Bella's arm. 

"They can't have you." The words ripped from my throat with menace as I released Bella and turned toward Felix. "You have all of one minute to leave this place. Tell Aro that you've delivered Bella to us and that we have asked you to leave. If you don't I will make you leave." The huge creature regarded me for a second and then looked beyond our circle with a lopsided smirk.

"You haven't got the authority to do anything, so quit yapping. However, I believe the man of the house is returning." Felix taunted with his arms across his broad shoulders. We all looked up from our positions in the field next to the burning remains of the house and watched as Carlisle and Jasper strode purposefully toward us. Carlisle's eyes though were on Esme, who really did look like she had been dipped in soot. She stood up immediately from Jacob, who was mostly taken care of and threw her arms around her husband.

"What the devil happened here? Are you alright? Esme…who tried to burn you?" I'd very seldom seen him angry. Carlisle was absolutely snarling by the end of his question. His eyes looked upon the scene and he immediately pegged Felix as his target. I threw myself between Carlisle and Felix and tried to calm my father down.

I had taken a lot of the situation from Felix's mind, and now I would go about explaining to my family, "It wasn't them. We seem to be at a disadvantage. I'm not entirely sure what is going on, but I know that Felix isn't here to fight us. A part of the Volturi has gone against their masters…they're the ones who took Bella, the ones who orchestrated the battle, and they are here with an army to destroy us." I held Carlisle's shoulders and he seemed to calm against Felix right away. However as quickly as one emotion ended a new one began and he began to pace with his fingers on the bridge of his nose as if to remove the tension that had just sprung from my revelation. Jasper had actually physically removed Alice from the group and placed her behind him. He'd almost lost his wife this morning, and his thoughts were absolutely murderous.

A voice that hadn't yet been heard began to speak from behind me, "Really? You don't say! I've got two very irritated eyes that say otherwise! This Felix guy just tried to kick my ass!" Jacob had turned human and put on his clothes while we were busy. "I'm with Carlisle here! What the hell is going on? Don't leave anything out! Bella, Oh my God…is that you? What have they done to you?" He took her hand and as she stood I wondered what Jacob would do. "What have they done?" She walked into his arms without hesitation and I felt the jealousy burn my throat with an excess of venom. I saw tears leaking from his eyes and watched as Bella too shuddered tearless sobs with the obvious pain of what she was feeling. "What have they done?" He repeated quietly.

He was asking her over and over again. This was breaking his heart. I had until now just allowed myself to believe that this was just something that we could slowly work through. I hadn't let myself grieve anymore for a situation I couldn't change. She was here. Bella was herself…slightly more resilient, but still herself. As I watched her crying with Jacob for her lost mortality I cursed myself. She was a monster now. Just like she had always wanted, but would having it destroy her connection to Jacob? Would the pack stay on our side? We had not changed Bella, and therefore the treaty was unharmed…but would they see it that way? More importantly, why did I feel like I was the one to blame?

"I'm not completely dead Jacob…" Bella supplied in a weak voice as he continued to cry and hold her shoulders. The words hurt me in a way that I wasn't prepared for. It felt like someone had shoved a dagger in my heart. "Isn't that worth anything?" She tried to keep her voice under control, but I heard the sorrow. "I died very, very far away from here, so don't blame yourself. There is nothing you could have done. There is nothing anyone can do to change this." She was regretful. I had always known deep inside that she would not be happy as a vampire. I had warned her frequently…but being able to say "I told you so" was never so painful. I began to back away from everyone. I just couldn't stand there watching her filled with pain for what I had inadvertently made her.

At first no one noticed my horrified retreat they were so busy watching Jacob and Bella cry over their loss, but Alice looked up at me first with confusion, and then with glazed eyes that contained fear. "NO! Edward! Don't!" I ran. I couldn't help myself. I had allowed them to steal her away from me and make her one of the living dead. It was my fault! She had wanted me, and she had been punished for our connection. Bella had admitted it to me when she'd said the Volturi had taken her to make an example of her…of all of us. It didn't matter to me what their current alliances might be to each other. I had killed the one person I had professed to love. Emily was right, I was nothing but a selfish demon…this is what we had planned for her anyway. What a horrible despicable monster I was. "Please don't go out there! You'll be killed!" Alice screamed at me to come back, but I found that I couldn't.

I wouldn't turn around. I couldn't watch anymore. I couldn't look at my fiancée without the pain of my sin against her poisoning me. She was safer with Jacob even now. It burned against my heart. How could she possibly love me? She knew my failure. I hadn't protected her. A body slammed into me and I fell face first into the dirt. We lay in the grass just by the bank of the river. I rolled over onto my back breathing in her scent. Bella, and her newborn speed had been the only one who could have half a chance of catching me. I took those deep calming breaths that filled me with her freesia smell. I had thought she would smell differently now, but I was wrong and I greedily drank in her essense…I just didn't feel the hunger that went with it. I still couldn't look at her. It felt like I was drowning on dry land.

I didn't move for a few second and then the voice that had a few seconds ago been broken was now angry. "How can you get mad at me for being stupid and then do something equally stupid yourself? What is wrong with you? There's an angry army of vampires out here with our heads on their list and you are going to chance going out here alone? If you're going to destroy yourself at least take me with you. If you can't love me like this I understand, but don't make me live completely without you! I couldn't stand it." My love crawled over me and stared down into my eyes.

I looked up at her and told her what was in my head, neither of us could read each other's minds…but Bella could now. She could read my thoughts if she stole my power couldn't she? "How could I not want you?" My words were filled with longing. She didn't have to read my mind to know that I desired her. I hoped it was in everything I did.

"I'm so different, I know you've noticed by now, my missing heartbeat…my skin…my voice…my scent? I must be unbearably different to you. I saw how you looked at me just now. Like what I said finally made you realize…"Bella began.

"How badly I've wronged you." I interrupted. "How can you possibly want to stay with me? You were correct back there. I can't give you back what they have stolen from you! I can't give you back your life." I whispered the last words with all of the pain I felt for betraying her trust.

My fiancée took my hand and fiercely continued, "The only thing anyone stole from me is YOU!" She put her free hand against my face and then stroked my hair. "I had already given everything to you: my heart, my soul, my mortality. None of it meant anything if I didn't have you. They stole my life yes…but they couldn't take my soul. That belongs to you. It always has. Even when I didn't know it, Edward I was waiting for you. Each breath I took was bringing me closer so I could be with you. It's more than just love…it's my destiny. I've always known, from the moment I saw you I felt our connection." She put her head on my hollow chest and I held her there.

Bella continued, "The only thing that can separate us now is us…and death. I want to avoid death for as long as I possibly can though, because I want very badly to find out what it's like to live with you every day. I want to see what it's like to just exist for each other. Can't you give me that Edward?" Her eyes would have been filled with tears. I had hurt her again, but the thing that truly bothered me was that I kept failing her. She was only asking for my presence. She was only asking for something I wanted to give her…something that was actually in my power to give.

"Can you forgive me? I'm grieving for something that isn't even gone. It's ridiculous." I admonished myself.

"No, it's not. I'm not the same. I know that. I just want the opportunity to prove to you that I'm still the Bella who gave you her soul." My love captured my lips in a fiery kiss. "I'm right here with you…right where I belong."

"Bella…" We laid there gently caressing each other's bodies. I knew she was right. I knew in that moment that God, or fate, or destiny had given me Bella. They had even given her back time and again after I had failed to keep her safe. I had felt split in two when we were apart, and I could never live that way again. We were both right where we belonged. _'I feel so complete with you here. I've never felt this way. Not in one hundred years. Love, please stay with me. Stay with me forever…till the world is cast into darkness and beyond.'_

"Forever." She looked into my eyes and I realized she had heard every word in my mind.

"That's really pretty you guys, but Aro, Marcus, and Caius are on their way. We need to pick a location for this to happen. I don't think this area is large enough…and it doesn't have much of an advantage. The scenery is nice though." Jasper commented offhandedly and looked at me and then at Bella. "Welcome home. We've missed you more than I can say, especially now that I don't want to eat you. Kinda' strange really." I felt the warmth of his statement and Bella was in his arms before I knew it.

"JASPER!" She was hugging him and laughing. He picked her up and spun her around as she laughed. "Look Edward! I'm hugging Jasper!" My Bella looked so happy there hugging her brother without fear for the first time.

Waves of pure joy came off of my brother, and I wasn't sure if it was a combination of the two of them or if it was just him sharing Bella's heart with me. _'She's so happy. So much in love with you, and when she looks in your eyes…it feels like flying. It's heartbreaking when she thinks you don't love her anymore. You can't imagine the absolute panic she just went through. Do it again and I'll break you like a twig Edward.' _They stopped, but my brother continued embracing my love, and he looked over at me with a threat in his eyes.

"I deserve that, but it's more important to me to give her everything she wants…and for whatever reason that's still me. She wants me. Despite everything that has gone wrong, she still wants me." I repeated the words over and over to help me believe as I ran my fingers against her cheek and spoke my own epiphany. The smooth stone of her skin warmed my soul. She didn't need to be human to bring me warmth. Her love had always been that feeling…and I was only learning that now that her physical warmth was gone. How could I have possibly professed to know her love before now? Now that I loved her more every second that she existed here with me. I wrapped my arms around her stomach and leaned my cheek against her own.

"That's more than enough of that. Bella, you can't have all the men in the house…you're going to have to share. Oh, and you're enjoying that a little too much Jasper!" My pixie sister skipped up and threw her arms around us. "Now this…this is perfect! You're my best friend Bella…and I won't let either of you hurt each other anymore. Come on. We have to reintroduce Bella to the rest of the family. Jacob and Felix aren't trying to kill each other; Edward isn't trying to kill himself. Bella is back and Carlisle is waiting." Alice let go of Jasper's back and took his hand leading him away toward the remains of our house. Bella and I walked behind them much the same way.

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BPOV:

We walked to the group standing by the burning husk that had once been the Cullen's house. It was completely destroyed, and I was sad to see it lying so low. Edward was right though. It was just a house. As long as the man beside me was alive and well nothing could be bad. "Bella, I'm really happy that you're home. When all of this settles down I want to try to visit that room with you again! It was neat. Jasper! Bella and I got to see this interesting room when you thought I was dead. It was like watching home movies…only better!" Alice gushed. I saw Jasper wince when she reminded him of her brush with death. I winced thinking that I really didn't want to go under again like that if I could avoid it. The sleep it brought was unnatural…even if it was refreshing.

Alice continued to talk in her excitement. "Did Bella tell you that she's the first vampire that could sleep?" I looked at my sister with an incredulous look and rolled my eyes. Edward looked at me with one raised eyebrow. Emmett must have heard because he turned around and laughed.

"Neat! That means that Edward doesn't have to give up any of his weird hobbies! Does she still trip over her own feet, because I would pay real money to see her do that!" Emmett laughed; a throaty booming sound that made me grin, until Felix started filling them in.

"Yeah, when I jumped at her she tripped over her own two feet. It was hilarious. Sure she didn't fall on her butt like you were telling me about, but I bet I could get her to do it. She's kind of clumsy for our kind." I rolled my eyes as Felix, Emmett, Rosalie, and even Jacob began to laugh loudly, but ignored them as I walked toward Esme and Carlisle. Edward led me to them and I felt my trepidation rise. I had brought these people a lot of pain, misery, and confusion. I was afraid that they would finally figure it out and abandon me. I should have known better though because Esme immediately threw her arms around me in a comforting hug.

Edward still held my hand but gave it to his father and held onto my shoulder instead as he began to speak, "Carlisle…Please accept Bella as your daughter. She's traveled far to come home to us, and she is the other half of my heart..." I looked over at Edward with a deep feeling of love. He continued, "The other half of my soul." He returned my look with the most beautiful gaze of longing. I had never wanted anything more than to be accepted into this family, especially by this man who had created my Edward.

Carlisle ran his thumb over my knuckles, looked up with a delighted smile, and spoke, "Nothing would make me happier Edward. I was worried that this day might never come. Dear Bella, I'd like to think that we've always been your family. From the moment you walked through our door unafraid despite our natures…more afraid of how we would accept you as a person. The things you've done for us, the selflessness you've shown time and again has more than proved how much you love us. You saved my son from a horrible fate…twice. The first time, you simply walked through the door and saved him from his loneliness. I've heard the second time was more of a sprint, which I know is quite dangerous for you. I've never met someone so willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of love, simply to be with our Edward. I'm delighted to add you to our family as a daughter…and as my son's mate."

I shivered at the last word. He had surprised us both, because Edward's face broke into a beautiful smile. This was an acknowledgement of my place by Edward's side. In Carlisle's eyes I was already Edward's. We would go through with our wedding as planned I hoped, but the man who had brought all of them together had just point blank told me I was Edward's mate. My love kissed me so deeply I felt it in my toes and when he stopped the whole family was there with us…even Jacob and Felix stood in the area around Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and I.

"Great! Now there are two of them." Rosalie gave me an eye roll as well as a smile despite her words and Emmett ruffled my hair. Esme had yet to let go of me. Jasper shook Edward's hand and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. Alice bowled Esme and I over onto the grass and kissed me on the cheek.

We all got up again and Carlisle hugged me as he whispered, "Welcome to the family Bella, you've brought him greater joy than I could have hoped, and you are a greater companion than I could have imagined."

"Are we supposed to pitch rice at you or something? I feel awkward because I left ol' Uncle Ben back at the house." Jacob said with an easy smile. I let go of Esme and turned to him shyly and he hugged me. Edward was wrong. Jacob smelled like the forest and the earth. He was like hugging a furnace. Jacob would always be my sun.

"Please don't joke about throwing anything I might trip over. You know I'm never going to be coordinated if this didn't help me." I laughed as he continued to hug me.

Jacob put his lips to my ear and spoke. "Be happy." He backed up and looked at me fondly, but at the same time I got the feeling that he had let me go before this moment, that he had lost me to Edward somewhere over the course of the week. I would have to ask everyone about that later.

"Yeah, congratulations, that's great." Felix shared a quick smile and looked over his shoulder. "In about two minutes an army of two hundred and fifty well trained Volturi soldiers are coming up over that river and meeting us. I assume by the assimilation of Bella into your family that you will then give your support to us to fight and lend your skills to her sire Aro. That would be the best scenario, by the way."

Carlisle looked at Felix. "Is this the concession we were discussing? Is this what Aro wants for her place in my family? He would have had my help with or without Bella's assimilation. These political games mean nothing to me."

"Actually there are a few more, but this is the first. We will discuss Bella's ties to the Volturi and her future when Aro is present. He hates missing this kind of pomp and circumstance. Personally I can't wait for the fight. These guys are just asking for it. Besides I really miss my partner Demitri. Bella's too short to get into a good staring contest with."

"Here, here!" Emmett gave a joking smile.

Jacob looked at Carlisle with a serious face and in an equally serious tone he spoke, "You have me at your disposal. It's my choice now. The pack will fight at the side of the Cullen family until the battle is decided. We are going to put this divide behind us. If we fail…the world is going to be a much darker place. Sam was right to think evil was coming. He knew it in his skin, just like I did. I'll gather my remaining brothers and sisters and we'll be back here at dusk. That gives everyone the opportunity to heal up. If you need us before that time call my father. Bella…you remember his number?"

I tried. The numbers were a jumble of emotions that reminded me of a time when my soul had all but left me. I shook my head no. He looked hurt that I couldn't remember. "Please don't feel bad…At least I remember that you have a father. His name is Billy…and he has a kind face and a voice that can make magic out of stories, and he's in a wheelchair. There are people I don't even recall. Places that have disappeared from my memory. I used to walk to school when I was in Phoenix…I don't remember the way there. My mother is married to a man named Phil…but I can't remember what he looks like and with each passing minute I remember less." I looked at my family and Felix and received a sad look. They all knew…understood. They had been through the same thing.

Jacob then asked me a question that I could hardly bear to hear, "Do you remember me Bella?" I looked sadly at the ground. "Is all that time we spent together…gone?" Jacob lifted my face and searched my eyes for recognition.

The truth spilled from my lips before I could even begin to formulate a lie, "I didn't remember at first. I forgot you Jacob, but then I met a wolf in the woods and it came back. Homework in Charlie's living room, warm soda, and walks over the smooth stones by the beach, our tree by the shore, and fires that reached up to heaven in the dark surrounded by friends telling ancient stories. I remember you Jacob Black…and I will always love you, even if everything else slips away. I promise. You're still my sun." I threw my arms around Jacob's chest and felt him shudder back a sob. I felt the cold venom slide down my cheeks signifying the return of the Volturi.

"Go…I don't want you here when they arrive. You can fight beside our family, but I'll be damned before I let you promise anything to the Volturi. GO!" My whole family watched in amazement as "tears" slipped down my face.

Jacob wiped the venom from my face and gave me a sad smile. "There's my immortality," he said quietly and Jacob became a wolf and ran into the forest just as the shadows on the other side materialized into more substantial forms.

Felix took up a space next to me and ahead of the Cullens. "Sure you can handle this again?" He looked down at me.

I took a calming breath in and out before I spoke. "You'll know it right away if I can't." I tried to smile, but the cold venom continued to flow down my cheeks. I couldn't get Jacob out of my head. Could he still be my friend…even now that I was this?

"You really are an angel…you know that right?" Felix asked with a serious look.

I shook my head. "I don't know about that…but I need an angel in my corner now. I don't want to fail my family."

"You could never fail us, Love." Edward took my hand and stood beside me. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

I looked over at Edward as legions of the undead filed out of the forest behind the three at the front. "I'm honestly not worried about anything that could physically come and get me. I'm more afraid of myself…" There it was; the power that always overwhelmed me. I tried to keep it in the catalogue. I tried to fight it down. I started to drown almost immediately. Who was I? Why wasn't Edward drowning out the other voices?

"FELIX!" I cried out to the bodyguard just as I completely shattered in my mind and dropped into a crouch and scented the air. There were no humans nearby…but there was blood. Wolf blood. It was just out of sight. Waiting behind us…I took in its very essence. It was a leader…strong, and young. Only seventeen seasons…but the blood had advanced him physically. Immediately I lost control of everything else. Edward…I could hear their thoughts. Emmett and Felix had granted me their power. I saw myself flying through the forest after the creature, but I couldn't see if I would get to kill it because I couldn't see the monster itself. My fear and anger were coming off of me in waves.

Half a field away Aro threw his arm out toward me. "CARMEN!" Too late…she would never catch me. I turned from everyone and ran recklessly toward the trees where the wolf creature turned and ran away. I would just have to catch up. This thing was my enemy. This creature would kill me if I didn't kill it first. It was in its nature. My nature was singing for blood, and at this moment any kind would do.

Before I even reached the tree line Edward was on top of me. I snarled at him. '_Bella no! What is happening to you? Stop my love. Calm yourself.' _I felt him secure my arms and heard a familiar voice. Carmen sat beside me and stroked my hair as I let out a whine. The calm came over me immediately.

Aro clapped his hands. "I've figured it out! Pedro? Come to me boy." A young vampire walked to Aro as I finally got a hold of everything and as he came closer the more my control slipped. It was this boy? This was the creature that could bring me to my knees? He couldn't have been more than thirteen! I struggled to get up. I could destroy the monster in front of me and I would be able to function again. Thanks to the strength I had borrowed I had fought my way up on my knees, but because of Carmen I couldn't seem to get to my feet. The catalogue wouldn't be pouring into me like an endless sieve if I could kill the boy. Aro pointed his hand in my direction and I heard what he said thanks to my super hearing. "Go…touch her."

"NO!" I screamed and fought against Edward and Carmen…but because she was holding me in thrall and Edward was holding me in the vice of his grip I couldn't get away. I absorbed Carmen's power and immediately was blacking out. Second later it felt like I was being set on fire. My eyes snapped open and the boy Pedro was holding his hands on my face. My body was bowed in agony. I howled in anguish and realized that Edward was being held back by Felix, who I guess had his power back. I was under Heidi and the hands Pedro had against my body were like fire on my soul his power was so dominant it was breaking me.

My family was surrounded by the Volturi, so they could do nothing to help. I heard my voice…it was weak as it formed a sentence. "No…don't touch me anymore…please. Please stop." Edward continued to fight in Felix's arms and calling out to me. As the minutes passed however I slowly felt the fire dim. I felt the abilities all around me fall back into their places. I felt the hold Pedro had on me diminished until it was nothing more than another power that I could borrow without fear. How had this happened? What had Aro figured out that I had missed?

"How are you feeling now Bella dear? Is it better?" Aro's ancient voice asked as Heidi got up without a word and the old Volturi held out his hand to me and I took it as I rose from the ground. Pedro looked nervously at my family and headed quickly away from us. Edward was still snarling and when Aro touched me my love absolutely roared. "Oh my, protective mate you have there! HA!"

"Edward, don't do that. Aro was only helping me. I'm not sure how…How were you helping me?" I questioned the methods as well as the motives but he had definitely helped me.

"You see dear…the more you are exposed to an individual power, the more you can control it. Felix for example, you take his strength easily now. You know how his power feels in your body and you have touched him so many times that it's like second nature now to your senses. It is easier for you to use an ability if you are touching them…your…catalogue? Is that what you call it? It's like it becomes three dimensional. I'm surprised you didn't come to this conclusion yourself!" Aro crowed and he motioned for everyone to be set free including Edward who stalked directly to me and held me next to him.

Aro, Caius and Marcus exchanged a look together, but none of them made a further comment about Edward's reaction. Aro did continue to speak after a point however. "Now, Edward, would you do me the favor of taking our Bella out into the woods to feed? She's probably starving now that she's expended so much energy! Carlisle! It's wonderful to see you again…" Aro was walking away from me with no more thought about Edward and I. I looked at Alice and she smiled and looked toward the forest. As if I needed an invitation? Carlisle began to speak animatedly with Aro and he seemed so relaxed…but I knew better. One of my father's hands was clutched as if he were trying to turn coal into a diamond.

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EPOV

Aro, Caius, and Marcus were all standing together with Carlisle. My family was attempting to look undisturbed, but their thoughts were giving them away. Rosalie was thinking that she couldn't live without Emmett. Emmett was thinking about how fun it was going to be to fight in a REAL battle, but wanted to hide Rosalie away from the actual fighting. Alice was thinking I needed to get going before Bella couldn't function again, she thought that to me directly, and the other thought was that we weren't safe. Esme was terrified at the notion of having her family exposed to this horrible group. Jasper was thinking that we were completely outnumbered and totally outclassed. He was right.

I balked at the idea of going into the woods without backup. If the story was true…if the Volturi had indeed splintered and the other half of their force was in the forest somewhere…

"Alice, which way should we go?" I asked aloud.

My sister seemed to think for a few minutes and pointed toward the South. "If you go toward the woods in that direction you won't meet anyone. They are in the Olympic National Forest to the East of here and some are toward the North. You won't have to worry if you go South, all of the forest between here and Bogachiel is vampire free. Iverson hasn't been that lucky. I see the Volturi playing cleanup there and in Tyee. The Makah are under protection of the wolves…and any deaths they have sustained will be handled by them."

"Why thank you Alice. That's incredibly helpful! Now we know where they are hiding and where we're going to have to come in and deal with the left over population." Aro smiled genially and Caius arched his eyebrow and commented how unbelievably useful Alice was. Jasper continued thinking about the horrible things he would do to them if they dared to come anywhere near his Alice.

I silently agreed that I would help him if it came to that, and then continued out loud, "Thank you Alice. We will be back as quickly as we can." I gave my sister a weak smile as I took Bella's hand and lead her away from the mass of vampires. My love was very quiet, as if she were concentrating very hard, but maybe she was. I didn't know how hard this was on her, and seeing the mass of bodies didn't help me at all either. Their presence was like being in high school. Fortunately I had experience keeping the voices from drowning me out. Bella was new, and the idea that she was grasping at her control was no surprise to me.

"Hey GIRL!" I blinked and looked up as a very flamboyant man walked up to us. "I was starting to think you would miss me the whole trip! I heard about Julian having to tackle you at the airport! Girl you are dangerous! Is this your man-candy? Lucky vampire! Not that I want to trade…but he's a whole lot of sexy. Edward right?" I nodded my head dumbly as I got an interesting mental picture of myself that had I been human would have left me red as a tomato.

"Sorry, what? Sorry…I wasn't paying attention. Louis, this is Edward. Edward, this is Louis. He's a fashion designer." She introduced us as I watched her flinch with concentration.

"Charmed I'm sure." I said while watching Bella carefully. "We really should be going." I started to pull forward, but Bella stopped us.

"Where is your better half? I have yet to thank him…Julian saved my life." Bella asked with a smile and looked around Louis as if he could stash this person behind him. She seemed to be at ease with Louis, and he seemed to be at ease with everyone. His mind was not complex and yet his mind had pattern and shape. He was actually wondering the same thing that Bella was.

The man, Louis, gesticulated wildly as he spoke, "Julian is meeting up with Demitri. I don't like it, but what can you do? He's good at being intelligence…so that's what he does. I still wonder why Julian insists on doing this. Part of me worries that he just does it for kicks. You know, being with the Volturi? It's kind of like a human who bungee jumps without a helmet and an unchecked bungee chord. I'm in because I hate being away from him. I stand out too much to help him with intel though, so sometimes I wonder if I'd just be better off playing house husband and waiting for him to come back all, "Honey, I'm home! This front line stuff is for the birds."

"I'm sorry Louis. I was hoping to see him before I left from Port Angeles but then Aro made that ridiculous speech and had Felix drag me off. If you see him before me can you tell him I said thank you?" Bella voiced her regards. I watched her give Louis a quick hug and I began to walk again.

"Oh, Angel?" Louis called back to her and Bella spun toward his voice. "Stop making my designer frocks into crap that look like it was stuffed into a paper shredder! You're killing me here!" He pointed to Bella's shirt and rolled his eyes. "You know that would have cost three hundred dollars boutique right?"

"Louis! I'm sorry. I admit it's a bit of a mess…" My Bella was fingering the fabric as she looked away completely embarrassed.

"Really? What is that smell? Is that werewolf? Oh my God! You're a danger magnet…did you know?" Louis waved us along and I looked down at my beautiful mate.

"I see that you made friends while we were away. What is all of this Angel stuff?" I asked with a crooked grin as she hid her face.

"It's the nickname that Felix gave me. It just kind of stuck. I don't feel much like an angel." Bella gave a more relaxed smile as we walked from the clearing into the forest.

"I've always known you were an angel." I responded back to her comment.

"Yes, the activity I'm about to engage in is thoroughly angelic. By the way…I do this a lot, so I hope you can't get bloated." Bella commented as she pulled me along by my hands and laughed.

I was relieved that she was taking this aspect of our lives with acceptance. I answered her question and formulated one of my own. "I don't think so, although I have to wonder what you mean by that."

"For whatever reason," Bella supplied as we ran, "I seem to run out of energy quickly, and especially when I'm overusing my ability. I eat like a pig."

"Don't worry. I'll always come with you. Besides, I've got good news. It won't affect your girlish figure. Drink away." I assured her as we wove through the trees at a swift but easy pace, and when she scented the deer at the same time as I did it took me by surprise. Although deep inside I was still stuck on my fantasy from this morning her beautiful laughter as she faded in and out of my sight…had it really only been this morning? I was beginning to mark time from a very different gauge, the time before Bella had arrived and the time after.

"I'm not sure how much I'm going to need Edward…but I know I shouldn't over hunt…" My love queried with an uncertain look in her eyes, her voice so low I could hardly hear.

"Take as much as you need. It's different when you're a newborn. I don't want you to suffer. Besides, I missed your first hunt; I want to see you…" I let the words trail off to see if I had said too much, or offended her. The smile she graced me with was unexpected.

"So, you like to watch?" Bella questioned me as her finger traced my shoulder and up to my jaw. Immediately I felt the need to touch her, but she was down the side of the hill and away from me before I could get my hands on her. She sprung lightly into a doe and I watched as her teeth sank easily though it's sinewy neck. Her intrusion had almost gone completely without notice by the heard at large. A smaller buck had noticed her though, and despite the wild fear I saw rolling in his terrified eyes I saw him begin to run at Bella with his antlers down.

The second he had let out a bleat the rest of the heard began to run the opposite direction. Bella looked up from the mostly finished carcass that she had drained and sprung lightly to her feet. The horrible grace she showed while avoiding the antlers unnecessarily and the way she snapped the creature's neck was alluring. She fell upon the new creature and I finally joined in the hunt garnering my own large doe and I lightly bit a second to paralyze it. I had seen Jasper do this for Alice on occasion, and it made me happy to think that I too now had a mate that I could hunt for.

Bella had finished the buck and the heard had moved away from us, but if she had given chase I was confident that she could have caught more. She was very comfortable and calm. I had been an absolute basket case about hunting at first. It was a very horrifying addition to a life that I was uncertain that I wanted. Carlisle had been extremely patient with me. I worked on instinct alone and was disgusted for hours on end afterward. I got the strange impression that Bella would not be as difficult. In fact she sat down next to me and took my hand as if she were in awe of me.

"I have a small confession to make." My angel would have been blushing if she had been able.

"I can't imagine what that might be. I don't see any confession worthy things happening here." I smiled back coyly as I timidly passed her the slightly squirming doe and she tore delicately through its neck to the blood beneath. Watching her like this was turning into a very erotic activity, and despite the way I had always felt about this aspect of who I had become, I found myself enjoying the way her throat moved and the way her body curled over the creature. I ran my hand over her back and down to her thigh as she finished draining the deer under her.

My Bella seemed to come to a decision and continued her comment, "I've always wanted to see you hunt. I mean, you already knew I was curious…but more than that I was sure it would be something that wouldn't bother me. I always thought you would look beautiful…" Bella said the words nervously as if she was worried that I would be offended. She also knew how touchy I was about this subject. I had always been more so when she was human, afraid of her reaction…the running and screaming. Now that she had said this to me I was absolutely astounded.

"And?" I asked with a small smile.

Bella smiled back at me with the nervousness abated, and continued. "I was right. I've never seen anything so amazing in my life. You make everything look so effortless. I'm a little jealous. I'm still not delicate, or graceful, and for some reason when you were watching me I felt a little more at ease."

I crushed her against me and decided to tell her what had been in my mind while I was watching her. "You are completely absurd! I've never seen you look so…I don't even know how to describe it. You have so much charisma when you hunt. The grace you're speaking of has not in any way eluded you, I assure you of it. It was wholly erotic." I spoke the last word nervously, afraid of her reaction, and at the same time I was excited to see where the comment would take us.

I was completely unprepared for the next words my love spoke. "Would you like a shower?"

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BPOV

I was thoroughly disgusting by now after having fed a multitude of times, and changing into a vampire, and my travels. Edward seemed completely astounded by my question, and I saw the twitching muscles in his hands and jaw before I realized what I had said. Had I somehow offended him? When he threw me over his shoulder and started to run I was surprised. I was equally so when he skidded to a halt and lowered me to the ground. "Stay here…looking just like that…Don't move, and I'll be right back." He had gone back to the carcasses and picked them all up effortlessly and run out of sight. I was blinking my confusion even when he returned. "Good Lord…Perfect." He threw me over his shoulder again and I giggled.

"Edward, please…" I laughed as I spoke and he ran. "I can run you know. You don't have to carry me."

Edward muttered with a bit of a seductive growl and it made me shiver, "To give you the opportunity to get away? Never again. I've been given an invitation to something that I've desired, and I'm not going to let the opportunity pass me up ever again." We had sprinted for what I knew was miles and as he gently set me down I was unsurprised to find us at my home. "Please wait just a moment while I open the window. I won't be a second. Don't move an inch." It was almost humorous the way he kept asking me to stay still.

Edward was, just as he had said he would be, back. I smiled as he picked me up in his arms and walked us through the open door to Charlie's house much like a man would carry his wife over a threshold. "Why do you keep telling me not to move? I'm not that flighty Edward." I said it with all of the humor I could muster, because I knew the truth. He was terrified that I would go away.

"I have not dreamed in over a hundred years Bella, but I fear that I am in a dream. That I am still sitting on that horrible cliff in reality. I keep expecting something to wake me up, and be lost again in misery. I need you to survive, and if I have just conjured you in my head, then I want to stay here in my mind forever. It wouldn't be a bad thing as long as I could have you. I keep expecting you to disappear Love. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. Please forgive me. Over time I'm sure it will get better." Edward walked up the stairs as he said this.

"Don't worry about that, if I have it my way I'll never leave your side again. I'm just kind of relieved that I'm not hearing you in crazy stereo in my head. You kept me safe all the time I was in Volterra. You remember how I used to hear your voice when you were gone? I heard it all the time I was away from you. I know I should worry you'll think I'm psychotic but I don't care. You always take such good care of me Edward, even when there's no way for it to be possible." I whispered the words and I watched his face go from a tortured mask to an expression of pure joy. "Even if I were just your hallucination, you would be mine. At least we both have that."

"Bella!" I was pushed up against the wall of my old bathroom. His hands were quickly divesting me of my destroyed shirt and then my skirt in a fashion that was full of every bit of needy passion that both of us felt while his fingers ran over my skin. Unashamed to be taking what we both knew we needed. I was removing his pants while he threw off his shirt and I pushed the fabric of his slacks and the boxers at his hips down toward the floor. I wanted to look at him desperately, but we were busy tangling our tongues together, and it made it next to impossible to see the stiffened member that had sprung up between us and poked against my stomach. He was kissing me passionately when I kicked off my shoes which meant I was completely naked, but Edward had yet to remove his own shoes which held his pants around his ankles. "Awkward. Pardon me." He leaned over to remove the shoes at his feet and I watched the smooth curve of his naked back as it ended at his hips in a trance like state. He was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't wait for this potential energy to become real. In my desire to continue I ran my fingers over his spine.

Edward let out a small tortured gasp and pushed me up against the wall again his hips pressing against mine in the most erotic way. He growled the next words with a look of pure desire on his face, "put your legs around my hips. Don't let go…never let go." I did as he asked and we both moaned as his distended length brushed against my sex. I had never been naked with a man before. Even when Edward and I had been fumbling into our physical relationship the most we had ever seen of each other was from the waist up. I wanted to look at him…but I would allow this constant press of our bodies until I got the opportunity to really look. He needed me right now to be against him. I understood his tactile needs. The only thing more wonderful than looking at Edward was touching him. He obviously felt the same. His hands alternated between caressing my grasping thighs and fondling my breasts. Alternately I was busy brushing my hands, lips, and body against anything I could reach.

The fumbling walk between this side of the small bathroom and toward the tub while we groped and fondled was filled with sighs and groans as I felt him coming torturously closer to something we both desperately wanted. He was surprising me with his multitasking skills once again when he bent backward to turn the knobs of the shower on. The water came forcefully from the tap and Edward clicked over the shower so that the water fell like rain around us. I pulled the curtain back to keep the water off the floor and realized that we were working in tandem without any words necessary. I couldn't help but be amazed how much we were of one mind.

The water felt incredible. He'd turned on the hot water full blast and had neglected the cold…and I truly felt the warmth running over my cold flesh. I closed my eyes and moaned at the sensation. Edward whispered into my ear and licked the lobe, "Don't think I didn't hear that. Are you enjoying the water more than me, my love?" Edward pressed my back against the tile and I felt the head of his shaft pressing at my entrance.

"Edward!" I gasped at the feeling as I called out his name. He was trailing kisses down my throat and over the skin of my shoulders. My back arched bringing him closer…pressing him further inside of me, and my mind slammed back down to earth. What were we doing? "We shouldn't do this. What about waiting?"

Edward leveled his eyes at me and I watched the water beading on his skin and moistening his hair. "I told you. I need you. I need you now. Please Bella. Don't turn me away." He took my hand with the ring and kissed it. "I, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, take you, Isabella Marie Swan, to be my lawfully wedded wife, binding us for all eternity and forsaking all others as long as we both shall live." He paused for a second and then gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. "Let me cherish you for all time, and love you for every single day of forever. I cannot stand this life without you here beside me, and I want to be by your side for all time. Everything is emptiness without you. You are my destiny too Bella. Please come with me on this journey." He had a very serious look on his face and I watched the water cascade over us, the liquid supplying me with the tears that I knew would be falling if I could produce them. I could have sworn I felt the drip of my stolen venom tears, but that was impossible. I gasped at the way my heart lurched in adoration for the man with me. Was I getting married in the shower?

"Well!?!" I heard Rosalie's raised excited voice on the other side of the door as I heard an obvious scuffle break out over who got to be closest. I was only slightly mortified. "Emmett!" I heard Rosalie giggle and I swore that I could also hear Esme and Carlsile talking as well as Alice and Jasper.

"Alice get everyone out of my house. Now!" I screeched. Edward had lowered my feet to the shower floor and was laughing but still held my hand and seemed to be waiting for me to continue. I really was getting married in the shower.

"Now we should throw the rice?" Emmett mock questioned.

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to figure out which side of the house was the bride's and which was the groom's? Nope! You have to finish. We're here for the wedding of the century." I heard Alice giggle. "Everything I bought burned down with the house anyway. We don't have time for driving off to Vegas and this is strangely romantic. Emmett you're on. Mazzeltoff."

I heard his laughing voice on the other side of the door, "Since Edward already said his vows I will deflect over to Bella. Do you have vows Miss Swan?"

"I'm all wet..." I sputtered confused.

"Not confessions Bella, Vows." Emmett said with mock annoyance and everyone outside in the hall and the two of us burst into laughter.

"Could this get any more mortifying?" I asked with a broad smile across my face.

"I could start singing." Emmett spoke through the door. "That's what most people do in the shower, but you two are always about pushing the envelope of strangeness. Here, let me start. I Bella Swan being of sound mind and naked body…"

"Emmett, that's what people say when they're writing a will…well excepting the naked bit," Edward's eyes danced with mirth as he spoke to the door. "Here let me. I, Isabella Marie Swan, do take this man…" His replication of my voice was exact. I punched him lightly in the shoulder and as he fell back a step from me I finally got a good look at him naked. My breath caught in my throat. He was magnificent. I had been about to say something but my words got completely stuck in my throat. His narrow hips, his amazing chiseled muscles, and his still erect penis stood in front of me in all his glory and I thought for sure I was going to pass out. He smiled crookedly at me, "Breath, Bella." I croaked almost inaudibly in response.

"Someone just got a good look at the hardware." Alice giggled out on the other side of the door and I internally combusted with embarrassment as everyone on the other side started to laugh again, but I swore there were a lot more voices than just my family. I covered my face with my hands but Edward hadn't let go of mine, so he was covering my face as well. "Bella…come on! If you ever want to get to do anything with it you're going to have to speak." She sounded really excited. I laughed lightly.

"Alright Alice, I'm speaking. See?" I said while staring up at Edward's eyes, pointedly not looking at his wondrous body or his startling erection so that I could finish speaking. "I, Isabella Marie Swan, take you the man of my heart, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, as my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to love you every single day of forever, forsaking all others for all of eternity. No matter what lies ahead, no matter what this day brings…I promise to go where you go, and return to you and only you at the end of every day. You are my heart and soul. I feel as if I've been lost and now that I'm here I've been found again. I love you more than I'll ever have words for." He kissed my knuckles as I finished with adoration in his eyes. Everything was quiet for a second.

"That was very beautiful Bella." Esme said with a watery voice and everyone laughed again at my mother's quiet interruption.

"Darling, are you crying?" Carlisle spoke at last.

"I always cry at weddings, you know that my love." Esme returned.

Emmett cleared his throat meaningfully and continued, "Alright, if that's all from the peanut gallery can we go on? If there is anyone that has any reason these two people in the shower should not be joined let them speak now or forever hold their peace. I do mean forever." Emmett paused for only a second before speaking again as if leaving that statement in the air were dangerous. "Well then, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington thanks to the endless power of the internet I pronounce you man and wife. Edward, for God's sake kiss the bride." He did, and very enthusiastically besides. I heard an absolute eruption of clapping and I blinked. How had I not noticed them? How had my power been turned off? "May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." I heard laughter as I guessed that Emmett introduced the door to all the people in the house. However many that might have been.

I decided to ask. "Alice? How many people are in the house right now?" I spoke quietly and with a bit of hesitance.

"Probably around two hundred and seventy, and I don't like the venue, but what can you do?" Alice snickered as I heard Jasper break into howls of laughter along with Emmett. "Don't worry Bella, the Volturi are insisting that they hold a proper ceremony that doesn't take place in a tub later. For right now, just enjoy yourselves! We're going to leave. Be back with us at twilight. You have Edward's cell if things get out of hand before then, and hopefully they will. Congratulations!" There was a prolonged commotion of sound, followed by silence.

We were alone, and I knew it because I reached out to the catalogue that our passions had seemingly made silent and there was nothing but Edward's ability to read minds available to me.

"You knew all of them were out there?" I accused my new husband.

"Yes, I had already started to speak when they all came in. Alice really did divide the house up. It was incredibly funny. Would you like to see? I'll let you in my head if you like." My Edward was caressing my sides and kissing and nipping my skin in an alternating fashion.

"No…that's okay. I'm guessing the view from in here was better anyway." I trailed my hand down to his erection and he hissed and pushed his hips against my grasping hand. I would have to get over my embarrassment eventually. Now would be a great time to practice. "Where were we?" I asked with an innocent look on my face.

Edward immediately had my back pressed up against the wall again and one of my legs up around his hip. I groaned aloud as I once again felt him brush up against my core. He shuddered as he spoke, obviously speech was an effort. I wasn't going to even try. "I believe we were going to consummate eternity." He brought his hand up to my clitoris and began to rub in slow circles as he entered me. I gasped at the feeling of his shaft buried so deeply inside me, and when he had fully penetrated into me, I could only groan out my passion against his neck. He began the slow torture of finding a rhythm to our lovemaking and he spoke with longing in his voice, "Bella…Oh God Bella!"

If the feeling of him entering me was staggering, I couldn't begin to describe the feeling of him sliding in and out. I gasped and shuddered as I felt the engorged tip slide along my tunnel, and Edward bucked under me. It wasn't the easiest of positions to start off with, I thought, but he seemed more than willing to put up with the awkwardness. I was starting to feel like my leg was going to give out so I locked that leg too around Edward's hip. "Never let go." I said through moaning and panting breath. I focused on bringing myself up and down on his erection as we kissed and grabbed at each other's bodies. I felt my muscles contracting around his member as I descended into my first orgasm, crying out against the incredible feeling of synapsing muscles and the way my vision blurred with the water still cascading down our bodies.

The water had long gone cold, but it didn't matter. Edward growled at the feeling of my body tightening around his own and he doubled his efforts. The comfortable thrusting of our mutual passion gave me time to memorize the feel of his body against my own. The slap of our skin at each joining of his member into me and the way I could feel the sway of our hips as his body marked me as his. I felt the light slap of his testicles against my behind as I began to fall on him more vigorously. Minutes later I had cum again and we were letting inarticulate 'I love you's' and names become a language. Soon I was reduced to simply moaning at the end of each thrust and Edward was silently straining against me. His eyes watching me as his breath came in deliberate rushes with our exertions, and as he finally came into me I felt the throb and jerk of his completion which sent me over again. "Edward…"

He shook slightly and pulled me close huddled against his body under the spray of cold water. His hand touched my head lightly and then Edward ran his fingers through my wet hair. I listened for the voice in his head because that was what he seemed to want. _'I never knew what was missing. I never knew my own mind until I knew you Bella. Oh, God. Bella. How could I have survived without you? How did I? I don't even remember a time without your grace. It's like my whole life is rewriting itself in your company. This was the most incredible feeling I have ever shared with someone, and you're the only one I'll ever share my body with. Please share yourself only with me.'_ Edward looked into my eyes and I smiled back at him and clutched him against my cold flesh.

"Only you. Forever." I promised him with a whisper. He withdrew from my body and I groaned against my loss. He began to wash my hair and body and I did the same for him, not speaking, but sharing more than we ever had before through caressing hands and searching lips. His eyes were full of desire by the end of our mutual cleansing and his erection was evident against me again as we rinsed off the soap on our bodies and in our hair. This is exactly what I had seen with Alice's vision, and now that he was turning off the water I saw that I had been right. The shower was excellent, but he was taking me to my old room now and when he pushed me down on my bed I knew that he was ready once again to express his unending love, and what eternity meant for us.


	15. A Moment Alone

Escaping Sol

A Moment Alone

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma151773012

01/20/08

You and consequently Bella and Edward all deserved a chapter that took place without the constant vigilant eyes of the Volturi. I'm happy to say that I'm actually pleased with the outcome. That being said it's late because I'm the Matron of Honor in my brother's wedding and I was focused on wedding stuff on the day I'm usually writing. It was also my grandfather's birthday on Sunday, so I left off writing then as well and took Eric and the kids over for breakfast with Grandpa'. Obviously it slowed me down. Please don't be too livid with me. : )

01/22/08

I am sick, therefore not writing as much.

Update: 02/02/08

…Grandfather is now officially very ill. I don't know about updates, or how long it will be in-between.

I still don't own Twilight. I still love all of you.

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EPOV:

We were completely silent as I stalked forward and herded Bella back toward her bed in Charlie's house. Two thoughts crossed my mind. The first was that I was married. This amazing creature in front of me that seemed to be an extension of myself, so much that I felt endless pain at her absence, was mine. She had given me herself in every way possible for eternity. The second was that the consummation of that union still burned inside of me as the most incredible experience I had ever had. Her body and mine, straining against each other. My wife felt as if she had been made for me. We fit together. Her perfect smooth skin so soft that it rivaled any fabric I had ever touched. I had imagined the way it would feel to sheath myself inside of her for longer than I would ever admit…but nothing had prepared me for the actual experience. I wanted more than anything to be joined with her, to hear her cry out my name in ecstasy once again.

Bella's beautiful curves shivered under my fingers and I could almost feel the anticipation jumping off my skin and into her as I pushed her down against the waiting sheets. The only noise as we moved was the unnecessary inhalation as we breathed in each other's scent. I crawled up over her, the bedclothes from the unmade bed bunching as she slid back amongst them. She watched me with passion filled eyes that were hooded and dilated almost black. The red rims burned me with the intensity of her loving stare. I was absolutely overwhelmed. "I don't want to seem greedy, but if I don't have you again soon I'll absolutely explode." I spoke to her and with those words I had broken the spell of our silence.

"We can't have that…" Bella's voice trailed off when I began to fondle her breasts and she arched into my touch. Her nipples were stiff and begging for my attention, and I felt a groan shiver through her chest into my panting mouth. The taut skin of her breast's peak was already the object of my singular attentions. She responded to my touch in gasps and small erotic groans. I let my finger pads lightly trace down from her shoulder and over her other neglected peak where I paused to bring the distended flesh to a point. I continued to bring my hand further down her body to follow the round flare of her hip and down the outside of her thigh to her bent knee. I circled the cap of her knee and started the slow journey back up, this time going on the inside of her raised leg and I felt her tremble with anticipation. I used my teeth to nip at the small bud in my mouth and my love let a small surprised hiss escape her beautiful plump lips.

"Your skin is smoother than silk." I whispered as I kissed Bella's flesh. I made my way around her shoulder up her neck and along her jaw, laving the skin there with my tongue. I captured her lips with my mouth and swallowed her cries as my fingers danced over her slick entrance and up to the bundle of nerves that I had played with as I entered her earlier. She bucked against my hand and I continued to flick the small nub. Watching her writhe and groan was not enough. I needed to see her coming apart. Something inside of me burned to see her losing control because I had brought her there. I paused in my ministrations to lie down completely next to her and pull her leg up over my hip as I bit and licked her earlobe. She gasped and moaned as I once again began to stimulate her.

"Edward…I…" My wife stammered; her actual meaning unknown to me since I couldn't read her thoughts. She pulled at the sheets lightly as if she knew they would be shredded if she wasn't careful. I didn't care one way or the other if she was careful. I wanted to make her incoherent, so her stumbling words brought me a measure of masculine pride. Her restraint however made me even more single minded. I needed her to understand that she was mine…and that only I could have her like this.

Bella's leg was holding me like a vice to her side and I took cues from her curling toes and staggered moans to see if I was manipulating her body correctly. I was new to this, but at the same time I had lots of mental experience. I had also…and I would probably deny it unless Alice was to speak it in Bella's ear…read up. I didn't want to fail her as a human, but this was different. I didn't have to spare thoughts about her being breakable now, so I used her expressions to guide my desire, more than I would have if she were still human. We had planned that union completely. This was spontaneous and freeing. Suddenly I understood why Rosalie and Emmett would disappear for months on end. I also found I no longer held animosity toward my family for their single mindedness…I had no idea what this was really like. Bringing someone else these kinds of feelings was drugging. I could just lay here watching her writhe with pleasure for days.

As my love shouted a mangled version of my name and a growl, I decided that we didn't have that much time. I descended to the place where my fingers had been dexterously working repositioning myself between her bent legs and I tentatively let my tongue take over. Bella literally screamed and her thighs locked around my head as her hands tore the sheets. I stopped, looked up at her with a smile, and waited. "Is this okay?" I wasn't completely sure if she was stopping me or if she had just lost control as I had hoped. Something told me that it was the second option.

"Don't…don't stop…Edward!" Bella's voice was a beautiful unrestrained symphony to my ears…now that they weren't being crushed between her thighs. I licked again and instead of her first reaction her knees fell to the side exposing herself completely to me, her head rolling to the side with panting breath. It nearly caused me to lose my head seeing her surrendering so absolutely and I heard my gasping growl before I could compose myself further. I seriously considered stopping what I was doing and letting my instinct to pound into her as hard as I could take over. Could this woman possibly be any more tempting? It was like she knew what would make me lose power over myself intrinsically. I was still uncertain what would draw my lover's attentions, and I wanted desperately to please her.

"Please…Edward!" My Bella's cries brought me back to myself long enough to realize I had just literally stopped moving, breathing. So when I brought my fingers to her entrance and slid them inside as I licked desperately at her core, her venom sweet in my mouth, I understood that she wasn't trying to stop me when she ripped the sheet again and screamed.

My Bella wasn't long in reaching her completion. Her head rolled back and forth on her long graceful neck. Her breasts heaved with her breath, mesmerizing me. My mate let out indecipherable words that may have been my name or I love you, but she panted and moaned and when I found her erogenous zone and began to relentlessly play my finger against its wall I felt her absolutely shudder around my fingers as she shouted my name.

I could have continued to pleasure my wife in this manner for some time…but something in the manner of her forceful push on my shoulders as I rolled to my back and the way her mouth crashed against me told me that she didn't want me to continue in that vein. Her left hand knotted itself in my hair as her right hand closed around my stiffened member; I arched into the sensation of her touching me again. Bella had always been easily scandalized; her blush a giveaway to her lack of comfort…but it always seemed that she felt that way about everything but me. She would blush at her actions and continue to be bold despite herself. As her hand moved unrepentant against my erection I wondered at her perfection.

Bella trailed kisses down my chest and over my stomach and despite what I knew her to be doing it still took me by surprise when her mouth grazed over the tip of my penis and descended over my length. Her right hand still stroked my erection as she carefully sucked on the shaft in her mouth. For a vampire male this was the ultimate test of trust. Biting was very erotic for us when done properly, but a true bite in this particular area was not something most wanted to experience. I shuddered at the thought and at the sensation of her sucking and stroking me. She looked up from the curtain of her hair and stared into my eyes. It was the most erotic thing I had ever witnessed, my length disappearing over and over again into Bella's mouth as her eyes stared longingly into my own, her hand pumping at the base of my shaft. She must have seen the indecision in my eyes because she let me slide out of her mouth and I groaned at the loss of suction.

"What's wrong? Am I bad at it?" My mate honestly thought I would complain about anything she did with me? I belonged to her. If she decided to string me up and leave me for days I would gladly allow it if only she would occasionally pay me some kind of attention. It took me a few seconds before I could even formulate words, let alone any kind of reply especially since she continued to stroke my turgid member.

"Not at all…I couldn't even begin to explain…what that felt like, what it looked like." My voice shook with the passion of what she was doing while we breathed the words of our conversation. "There is a certain element of danger there however. I was just surprised that you would be willing…" I spoke quickly as I brushed the hair back from her face. "I enjoyed it immensely."

"So…it wasn't bad?" Bella seemed preoccupied with the idea that she could ever be anything but perfect for me in bed. The concept was laughable.

"No. You felt incredible. I would be willing…to return to what we were doing…at a moment's notice." I groaned out as she licked me from base to tip stopping in her ministrations only long enough to pass her tongue over the sensitive flesh under her hand.

"I think I've got other destinations." Bella became bolder as we grew acquainted with each other's bodies. I liked seeing her blossoming confidence. It was sweet and erotic all at the same time. She drew herself up to my chest and ran her teeth over the flesh of my nipple and I groaned her name as my eyes closed. So I was taken by surprise when she straddled my waist and sank down onto my erection as she held me in place until I was deeply pressed inside of her body. The sensation was a little too perfect and I groaned at my desperation for her to do this. We had been subtly in this position before when she was human…with far too many clothes. Now we had the opportunity to feel each other as I had always wanted.

My mate cried out as she began to rock her hips. Dear God, but I loved this woman. She had set a slow rhythm to the sway of her body and I kept my hands at her hips to increase the friction between us. I watched her bouncing slowly, her ripe breasts heaving with every breath and every thrust. I was quickly losing my grip on the control I had kept for so long. My hips jerked up in response to her every plunging crash against me in an attempt to connect us even further. I breathed her name past my lips whispering endearments and even curses over and over again, but I still couldn't seem to convey how perfect she felt here with me. I felt her release begin as the walls of her cervix gripped my shaft and it sent me over after a few more ardent thrusts. I wasn't done yet…this wasn't finished.

I immediately flipped us over and placed one of her calves over my shoulder and began to forcefully take her. Bella's eyes closed and she cried out over and over again: my name, entreaties of "please" and "now" and "faster" and "harder". For my part I was speechless. I breathed in her scent and every few seconds I felt a grunt leave my lips in time with my deliberate thrusting. It was worth everything just to hear her under me so enraptured by what we were doing that she was only capable of one word at a time. She came over and over again. Muscles clenching me as she was brought over the edge and my skin felt as if it were charged as I pounded my turgid flesh into her. My Bella was grasping the edge of the bed with clutching fingers and feeling her reaction was very close to causing me to cum again. After the fourth time she had reached orgasm I felt myself ready and I erupted inside of her the venom releasing as I would have if I had been human and the spasms of my own completion drawing Bella once more to shudder within. She smiled and whimpered to me as I pulled out. Then she spoke only one word, "Edward…" My name had never sounded so much like a promise.

"Oh my God…" The words left my lips like a quiet prayer and I let her leg down from my shoulder. I quickly changed my position to lie along side of the woman I wanted to spend eternity with. She draped her arm over my chest and I buried my nose in her hair to better inhale her sweet freesia scent, no longer brining me a powerful thirst for anything but her body.

My wife gave a small sigh and spoke, "Edward…can we really be like this? Just like this forever?" I pulled the torn sheet up around us and lay down with her as I traced absently against her silken skin, feeling for the first time as if I had been given some kind of divine gift in my immortality.

"I would like to try." The whispered words were my own promise. I wanted to keep her forever.

---------------------------

BPOV

I would never know now, but I was fairly certain that I would never have enjoyed this as much as a human as I did as a vampire. Sex with Edward was incredible, and I was glad we had waited until we were married, even if the wedding was really weird. I was suddenly pleased I didn't have the reference for anything else. We were equals in all things. Even our strange vampiric virginity made us equal. We had kissed quietly for the last few minutes and I was almost afraid to break the enchantment of what we were doing. Edward spoke first. "Tell me about it."

"I'm a little confused…Tell you about what?" I asked as I placed my hand against his chest. He continued to trace shapes against my skin. "If you're asking me to explain what just happened I'm not sure I have the words for it." I kissed the skin of his throat and smiled devilishly. "Although if you gave me enough time and I mustered the courage I'm sure I could try."

My comment and expression made him smile broadly, but it seemed to strengthen his resolve and he took a deep breath. "Tell me about what happened to you when you were away from me. I want to know everything. I want to hear it from you." Edward looked at me with a small pained smile. My smile was gone almost immediately. "I want to think that I haven't failed you, but I know better. Please tell me."

My husband was very good at beating himself up. I already knew what a glutton for emotional punishment he was, but this was not the conversation I wanted to have right after mind blowing sex, or ever really. It might fuel his anger…or his pain. I didn't want to be the catalyst for either, especially when the focus of that anger would be so close.

"I'm not sure you want to hear it, and I know I don't want to talk about it. Please Edward." I kissed his cheek as I whispered the words. He slid his hand past my throat and down to my breast and laid his palm directly over my bite from Aro. One of only two bites on my body and when he covered my palm I just knew that he was thinking he had now failed me twice. He was wrong, I just didn't know how to tell him any better or heal his heart to make him believe.

"This should have been mine." He spoke the words so softly I could have sworn they were in his mind, but they made me gasp all the same, the raw possessiveness in his voice causing me to ache inside. I was wrong…his thoughts were actually selfish for once. "You are mine, body and soul…and the right to take you belonged to me. We had promised each other that your blood was mine, just like I would be yours after those three days. I had promised you eternity…but this part of you was stolen from me, forever. Don't let them take the experience from me as well. Talk to me Bella. I deserve to know." His words were quiet and filled with anguish, and I understood him now better than ever. I could only imagine how much less awful the transition from human to vampire would have been here in the arms of my angel instead of lying amongst the dead wondering if I would ever see him again.

Edward continued, "The things I can imagine are probably a million times worse than the truth Bella, and I'll promise you that I won't interrupt or get overly defensive." Edward was now making ridiculous promises. Of course he would be shocked and angry when he heard what they had…or more importantly hadn't done. However, we had just promised to share ourselves. What had happened to me was a part of who I was, so would keeping Edward in the dark just to protect his sensibilities make me wrong? He was right about one thing. The act of knowing my blood was supposed to be his. I was supposed to bind myself as his wife and then he was supposed to take my life. He had kept himself from me for the sake of our love…but I had wanted him to share in my essence. Almost immediately I knew the answer to the question. Miscommunication was often impetus for death, and I would not be responsible for his.

"Don't make me a promise you can't keep, interrupt me whenever you like and be angry. You have a right to your feelings. This is something we should talk about, but don't hold back, I won't." I conceded as I got as close as I possibly could to my husband. My leg wrapped around his hip and my arm around his shoulder. I buried my face against his chest and he put his arms around me. "Where should I start?" I asked as we settled against each other.

"Jacob saw you die. He said they threw you over the side of the cliff, and I could smell you there. So, I assume that you made it to that place. Someone among them could obviously warp perception because I saw you die in his mind. Your neck…" My love drew his hand from around my shoulders and traced the skin of my throat as he continued speaking. "They broke your neck. I've never felt such agony, even when I got that call from Rosalie in that damned attic. It was too horrible seeing it there in his head, as if I had been witness and simply stood there watching." My Edward admitted and clutched me closer.

"The one who didn't actually kill me is named Andrew. He's Jane's little stooge. He does everything she asks. She could tell him to stand in a burning building and he'd probably do it with a smile. I wasn't sure what he was doing to Jacob, I just knew there was a lot of screaming involved and he passed out after the first couple of seconds. Looking back on it I'm pretty sure that Jane was attacking him while Andrew reorganized his memory. I'm sorry Edward. I wish there was something I could have done to let you know…" I kissed his shoulder and breathed his sweet scent into my nose heightened by my new sensitivities.

He stroked my back and kissed my hair as he consoled me. "You did love. Your phone, you dropped your phone and this Andrew hadn't seen it in your hand so it wasn't in Jacob's thoughts. I knew from that moment something in his memory was faulty. It caused me to hope, but by then it was already too late to do anything. You can't possibly blame yourself. Bella, you were captured by a group of the Volturi. There was no way you could have fought back as you were. I'm just happy that they didn't do what Jacob had seen." His hand was back to sliding casually up and down my spine, then over my hip and skimming my thigh that rested still across his body, touching every inch of me that he could reach.

"It was what Alec and Jane wanted. Demitri stopped them and told them it was the perfect opportunity to call out Aro, Marcus, and Caius. He saved my life. If he would have hesitated Andrew would have killed me." Edward's hand paused as I spoke the truth of my near demise at the top of the cliff face. Edward seemed agitated, but said nothing as I continued. "Demitri drugged me and I fell asleep. I don't remember the trip to Italy. It was like drowning all over again. I went under and I never quite came back up. I don't remember anything until that horrible room where I was just conscious enough to make out the people in the room. Jane and Alec pretended that I was brought there because I had given away my secret and I was too drugged to speak the truth or defend myself. They demanded that I be put to death to see if the three Volturi heads could be destroyed by their own hand, by showing weakness. I still fail to understand how showing a weak human leniency could be considered a fault. "

I continued my story despite Edward looking as if he would like very much to pace the floor and pull at his hair. He rubbed soothing circles into my lower back, comforting me when it was obvious that he was the one that needed my warmth right now. I would need to finish my story soon before I completely lost my nerve. "The situation in Italy seems grim. Aro, Marcus, and Caius are losing face because some of the Volturi believe they are too indulgent because they are old. It's more about philosophy than anything else. Most of the guard doesn't even know what Jane and Alec have in mind…they just know that they don't like their masters."

"So Jane and Alec used you as some kind of bargaining chip in their rebellion, and the Volturi stopped them?" My love asked with a look on his face that seemed to say he knew I was leaving something out.

"The three brothers already knew about my situation, but they didn't expect them to bring me to them. It's possible that they would have allowed Jane and Alec to kill me if Demitri hadn't been thinking on his feet. It's by his quick thinking alone that I'm still alive right now. When he came back he touched Aro and allowed him to see into Demitri's mind, but Aro didn't trust him completely. In Voltera it seems that anything could be a trick, and so Aro touched Jane. She gave herself away accidentally, and he did what he could to stop the situation from going out of control…" I let the words lead off looking up at him when he seemed ready to speak.

"He killed you for the sake of politics?" Edward's voice dripped with animosity.

I nodded my head and he growled. I continued to speak over the expression of his anger. "Because Aro needed the extra time to plan with the rest…Demitri had already spoken with Marcus…Aro quickly grabbed me and bit me. If it makes you feel better he did apologize, and then he asked me not to scream and threw me into the sewer." If I thought that Edward was growling before…now he was faintly shivering with rage.

I would omit as much as I could here. I had partially lied when I told him I wouldn't hold back; this was not something I thought would make a difference. I wanted to spare him pain. "I landed on the corpses in the sewer, but I was in so much pain…I just laid there and bit my lips…my tongue…until I couldn't keep from screaming anymore." There was no need to go into detail…to tell him that I bit through both and that my bones had shattered from the fall. "I don't know how long I lay there…but then Felix came, gagged me, and brought me into a room. Once he left I was there alone for the whole time after that."

"They let you hurt yourself?" My husband's whisper sounded pained; at least I had kept him from his anger. I looked down and played with the sheet covering our naked bodies and he took my hand. I had been in agony the whole time, and I wasn't sure, but it was probably made worse every time I tore at my skin, hair, and eyes. Edward sounded like he would have cried…had we the ability I would have joined him. "Good Lord…I was wrong. I don't know if I could come up with anything worse. Three days of soul destroying agony…away from your family and no one there to comfort you? No one who cared enough to stop you from clawing at your skin…your eyes? Aren't you at all angry at me for not saving you?"

I shook my head and continued playing with the sheet as I answered his query. "No…How could I blame you for any of this? You would never have allowed them to hurt me if you'd have known. You thought I was dead…you had your own grief. We were both wronged. I think we're equal."

"Maybe not equal, never equal Bella, but I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're never so alone again. I love you more than I can say, but I wonder if it's a fraction of what you must experience for me if you can still feel this way after everything…I couldn't…Bella." Edward was looking directly into my eyes and I felt his anguish.

"We're together now. It's enough for me. I don't want to ask for anything else." I traced my lips over his collar bone, looking at anything but his sorrow filled eyes.

"When it was over, they offered you a human." He continued from what little he must have heard from someone's thoughts, probably Felix. He was prompting me to continue.

"Gianna. You remember her?" I supplied with an unhappy lilt to my voice.

"She was a traitorous creature, an enemy to her own kind. Did they force you to drink from her?" Edward seemed to try to make her out to be more of a villain to soften the blow for me or for himself I wasn't sure.

"No. I told you already. I never drank blood directly from a human being. It doesn't change the fact that I have drunk human blood, but I've in no way had someone by the throat since I pushed Gianna away from me after hearing you in my head. You stopped me from hurting her. You made me stop." I confessed once again to hearing him in my mind.

"I'm glad I was there…even if I could only be a hallucination. The thirst must have been unimaginable. However did you hold yourself together? If you were able to fend it off even a little it must have been painful. What did you do about the bloodlust?" The question was an honest one…but I was almost loath to answer him.

"In the end, they gave me a housecat…I was too hungry to think about it and too thirsty to hold back. Poor creature probably never knew what was coming. If it was struggling I was too lost to notice." I shivered and Edward held me.

"We're going to put all of this behind us. This ridiculous war…the failing of the Volturi…it isn't our fight. We should really just go. Get you as far from here as we can. I don't ever want to lose you again." My husband spoke with passion as he grasped my shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes.

"You know that's not true Edward. Everything the two of us stand for could be destroyed if we don't help Aro. If Jane and Alec were to win now our freedom won't be worth anything later. They want to destroy the old way of living. They want to take over and force the people into servitude. I can't imagine Charlie living as some kind of slave!" I spoke with conviction and Edward looked at me with horrified understanding.

"That's complete madness! Why would they risk exposing us? They don't honestly believe that there would be no resistance for such nonsense? There are more wolves out there that would be more than willing to wipe out the vampires. For now they are happy to protect their lands, but they would go out into the world if they felt a need. Everything would be destroyed by such blatant annihilation of the Volturi's rules. There is reason there behind their policies. The human race is nothing if not ingenuitive, if we give them a reason to come up with a way to kill us…I'm not so stupid as to believe that we wouldn't be in danger from them as well. " Edward spoke again with passion.

On top of that, I thought of Cain and Lillith. If they were real wouldn't this be their jurisdiction? Wouldn't they be the ones to stop such a horrible thing from happening? Or was that just a story? I decided to ask Edward. "Do you know about Lillith?" I wasn't sure of the extent of his knowledge. I was sure there were things we had discussed that I couldn't remember.

"Lillith? I've never met anyone named Lillith, is she with the Volturi?" Edward asked with sincere confusion.

"She was Adam's first wife. You know…the bible?" I supplied and my love shook his head in a positive fashion.

"I know Hebrew lore states that she was cast out of the Garden of Eden…but what does that have to do with all of this?" My husband asked again with genuine confusion.

"Maybe nothing." I answered with uncertainty. "We should probably focus on the stuff that makes sense. I'll tell you all the unrelated stuff later." I smiled and traced the skin on his chest and over his ribs. "I'm going to fight with the Voturi Edward. I love you too much to leave this to chance. I can help now."

"You're still you. I don't want to have to worry that you're going to get hurt." Edward said with a slight smile.

"I meant my ability you doofus! Just because I'm uncoordinated doesn't mean I can't be of any help." I laughed and lightly smacked his shoulder. "Besides, I didn't lose my fight with Felix. It was a draw! I'm just…new."

"Did you just actually call me a doofus?" Edward laughed and lightly tickled my sides until I laughed again. "I'm not sure this is the best idea…but for you I would walk directly into hell. I won't hold you back from your beliefs, but know that I want to keep you safe by any means necessary." My husband spoke solemnly. "I'll go wherever you lead me, just please stay safe. No matter what, I want to be sure that you're unharmed."

"Silly Edward! I'm a vampire. It's going to be hard to hurt me now." I stroked his cheek and gazed longingly into his eyes.

My Edward took my hand and shook his head as he whispered. "Hard…but not impossible and I won't see you harmed. I love you."

"We're going to come out of this. I'm happier right now than I've ever been, at least in my memories. Believe in us, and we'll be fine." I stated with more calm than I felt. "In the meantime I think we have at least an hour before we have to be anywhere…" The implication was all it took before he was kissing me senseless and I was worshiping his body again.

-----------------------------

EPOV

The sun was slowly lowering in the sky when Bella and I began to rouse ourselves from our marriage bed. She looked even more alluring putting on clothes than taking them off, or maybe it was the fact that she was doing something and it caught my attention. I was officially the luckiest man on earth. Her jeans were endearingly loose on her and she rifled through her drawers to find a belt. Is this the last memory we would have here? Would we ever return to Charlie's house again? I couldn't fathom having better last memories anywhere even if they had been a trifle sexually charged. "I'm glad," I began to speak my thoughts aloud, "that we have memories here together. I'm sorry you aren't in control enough to see Charlie and Renee. Part of me feels like a bit of a cad not inviting them to the wedding Mrs. Cullen."

Bella laughed and turned toward me with a devious grin. "Are you kidding me? You want to see if the human race can figure out if they can kill us? Invite Charlie to a wedding where he KNOWS we're both naked! I may have forgotten a few things about him, but I'm not stupid Mr. Cullen." I smiled at my love and spun her in a small circle before setting her gently on her feet. She ran her fingers carelessly over my still naked body and laughed.

"You would know better than I, although I suspect you may be right." I was gathering up the linens on the bed and Bella watched me from the rocking chair. He eyes still alight with joy and a bit of smoldering passion. I really should get dressed lest we fall back into bed.

"I wish we could take this with us." Bella put her hands on the arms of the rocking chair and smiled fondly. "I remember you sitting here. If I close my eyes it's like I can see it. It's nice to have such a clear memory."

I took a deep breath and decided to tell Bella what I had learned about Renee, and how she had somehow found us out. "We could always ask your mother."

My love shook her head. "No, she would probably insist on seeing me Edward. I can't right now. Even with the smoke from the fire Charlie's blood was too close and he was plainly on the other side of the clearing. No, it would be best to just let it go."

"She knows Bella…Renee knows what we are." Immediately my love was on her feet pacing agitatedly. This was obviously very upsetting for her to hear, but I needed her to know. I was hopeful that if I was still unable to read her thoughts, that the same was true for the speaker of the Volturi. That Bella's mind was still shielded from him. My wife needed to know about the danger her mother had brought onto herself even if Renee was not aware that her knowledge could end her life.

My poor Bella was immediately beyond worried. Her voice was absolutely frantic. "Renee! Oh, no. Oh, how can we fix this? How can we protect her with the Volturi so close? If they found out…Edward this is a disaster! I won't let them hurt Renee. She's so innocent. No one would believe her if she told them! Everyone who knows her knows how flakey she is! Help me!" Her arms wrapped around my waist and her head buried itself in my chest. "I can't let anything happen to her Edward. Not for me…there have been too many accidents and too much pain felt on my behalf already." I sat her back down and placed my hands on her shoulders looking deeply into the endless pools of her eyes.

"Don't panic love. I haven't told anyone in the family save Emmett because he was there to hear the conversation, and he is smarter than that. I hope he's smarter than that at least. I'll make sure he doesn't share with anyone else. We can play damage control; it's never too late for that. If it helps at all she wasn't upset, she just wanted you to be happy." I backed away and began to fold the sheets that I had removed from Bella's bed knowing that we couldn't leave them there for Charlie to find. They had been shredded by my wife's clutching hands too much. The very idea sent me into a small shiver of desire and I had to control the urge to once again take my mate. Instead I considered what my love might want to hear of her mother's conversation with me.

I remembered Renee's words, and I repeated them for Bella. "Renee said: "I've decided it doesn't matter. Find her. Make her happy. Bring her back with her arms and legs and I don't care if she's one of the eternally damned as long as you make her happy." My smile must have been very silly looking because Bella jumped out of the chair and threw her arms around me. "You ex-Swan women are a strange lot. Once you get it through your head that a situation is safe you just throw yourselves into it one hundred percent. Renee wasn't even afraid of me as she should have been. You two are very much alike."

"Edward…you have no idea how happy that makes me! It's horrible that we're going to have to protect her, but at the same time it's wonderful that she approves of you. I was so worried that she wouldn't like you. I'm glad she said that. It probably means she knows how much you love me…which makes you not scary." My wife assured me. "She reads a lot. I'm sure she thinks that this is all very romantic, if not strange, and that I must love you completely. She finally approves!" My Bella's eyes were a sparkling crimson.

I laughed at her words and smiled as I spoke, "I'm glad I could give you news that could bring you joy. It's ridiculous to me that your mother is only happy about your marriage now that she knows you're married to a creature of darkness. It makes me wonder about the questionable nature of your family's sanity. I wonder what she would have been like if the truth was that I was just a seventeen year old boy that felt he'd found his soul mate?

"I can't be sure Edward, but I'm thinking that it would have still involved plane tickets...and maybe some tranquilizers." Bella said to me with a grin.

I smiled at the reference to her mother buying the two of them tickets to Aruba three days before our wedding was supposed to commence. It was good to know that she remembered that night. It was possible that the memory of what happened physically between us had stayed with her as well. That was one memory I didn't mind recounting for her if it were necessary.

There were more pressing issues right now though, and I continued to speak to her, "There are things that I have to tell you about our lives in your absence that are not nearly as happy." We would need to discuss the battle that we had engaged in as well as all of the details of the last week. She had done me the favor of being sincere about her change. Now I needed to return her honesty. I told her about the battle and left nothing out minus those who had died, the tale seemed to frighten her, and justifiably so if she were actually intent on fighting with the Volturi against the Volturi.

Bella immediately gave my shoulder a squeeze as she left the room to acquire more bedding for the now empty bed and she continued to talk as if I were right next to her, which I remembered was something that I always forgot when I was first changed. "I already know that the wolves suffered losses. Don't keep that from me Edward…who…?" So much of how Bella responded to this new life was unusual, but her continual care for everyone was something that she had kept from her human life. The compassion she showed for others that was part of her very being, her soul, which made her the woman that I desired.

I pushed past her as she walked back toward the room with new linens making my way into the bathroom. I smiled at our strange cathedral, and ran my hand along the wall of this most sacred of places…a simple bathroom in Forks, Washington. My clothes were thrown about with very little care and as I pulled them back on I realized that I liked it here. When Charlie was gone from this world this house would be mine until the end of time…I would see to it. This was Bella's home, the place I had first listened to her say my name in her sleep. It was the place I had called in one of my darkest hours to confirm my worst fears, and it was where I received the call that made me live again when I thought I was all but lost forever. It was the place I had spent countless nights learning more about myself than I had ever begun to suspect in eighty years, and now most importantly it was the place of my two new most cherished memories.

"Edward?" Bella came into the bathroom with me and gave me a frightened and concerned look her voice shaking with the emotions. It had been a bad place in our conversation for me to space out I realized immediately.

"Oh, Love! I'm sorry. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I neglected your question. I swear it was my selfishness, not fear to continue!" I wound my arms around her shoulders and looked into her beautiful ruby eyes. "I'm sorry to tell you that Sam was amongst those that were lost. He and four very young wolves, there is a good chance that you won't know them because they were so new, and you may not remember them as people at all." I gave her names and ages but her head shook negatively.

"Oh…poor Emily!" My wife held my hands with her own and seemed to be filled with grief for the girl who had only hours before maligned me for my selfish nature. "She must be so lost! With everything that happened, between her and Leah…I remember that!" She bounced a bit with the thought and went back to her musings. "Edward she loved Sam so much. Emily was a nice person when she wasn't busy disliking you. What's the pack going to do about a leader?"

"I thought you understood. Jacob is leading them. That's why he said he was speaking for them now." I pulled my love's hair back from her face and gave her a pained smile. "It's part of who Jacob was as second in command."

"I'm sorry Edward. I didn't remember that. I forgot." My Bella looked helpless for a second and it reminded me just how much she had given up for the sake of politics and my love. Her fingers worried the fabric of my shirt as she stared at the ground.

"Don't trouble yourself with anything that you might forget. I'm here to remind you. I would never hold back anything from your past." I knew it was the truth even as I spoke it.

My love looked into my eyes and gave me an evil grin. "Even if I forgot I loved Jacob."

"Even then, although, to be honest, I would have probably emphasized the almost brother/sister nature of your relationship so that it wouldn't have been as much of a problem for me." I smirked when she batted lightly at my shoulder.

"Oh…Edward. Look!" My wife was giggling slightly and pointing to a point above the tile in the shower. There were four indentions in the plaster where my fingers had cracked the gypsum and a few of the tiles were cracked under the marks where my palm must have hit too hard. "I feel better about destroying the sheets now." Her sweet laugh filled the small space with an almost angelic echo.

"Thank you. I'm glad my passion amuses you." I said with a smirk.

"Always!" My Bella was in my arms before I was expecting it and she kissed my cheek as we bumped against the wall. This time I was overly careful about the plaster and we were once again starting to remove our clothes as my phone rang. I had always been a punctual person in the past…what was one missed deadline in eighty years?

The silver cell phone was in my palm before I even spared it a thought and Bella continued to kiss and lick my neck as I answered it. "What?"

Alice's voice chimed bell-like in my ear. "Here I thought she was going to improve your moodiness! Edward. I appreciate your status as newlyweds. Normally I would be shoving you on a plane somewhere appropriate and with suitcases full of designer clothes you would never get to use because you never got dressed…but you need to come back now. Give Bella back her phone. It's in your other pocket. The sun is setting, and we need you back here before this situation breaks." Alice talked nonstop as Bella unhooked my belt and worked open my black jeans. I hissed when she took me in her hand. "BELLA! Quit! You really don't have time. I wouldn't lie about this, and I don't want you two to be caught out there alone. We don't want to lose you both." Alice's voice was stern but caring and my mate removed her hand from my obvious erection.

"Sorry Alice. You're right of course. I don't know what I was thinking. Looking back I'm sure it wasn't a logical decision." I said with a smile as Bella closed my pants and re-buckled my belt. I watched her straighten the shower and pick up her discarded clothes from the floor.

"Love isn't really all that logical, but that's why you have a psychic sister to keep your head on straight. You know I would just let it go if it didn't make a difference right?" Alice seemed very repentant for calling us.

Bella stole the phone and spoke with Alice. "No, please, Alice it's alright. We know you only have our best interests at heart. I was just being difficult. I've missed Edward so much that I guess it's hard for me to keep my hands to myself. I'll try to be better about it in the future."

"Leave the future to me Bella…and in the future you shouldn't need to worry about it." I heard the words leave Alice's lips but they sounded uncertain. Yet another thing that I would have to tell my beautiful mate about…our uncertain future.

"Did your vision change Alice?" I asked the open air knowing she would hear me regardless. She must know what I was speaking of. The very idea of the Volturi keeping Bella for themselves was abhorrent to me.

"I'm sorry Edward. That hasn't changed. I don't know what it means though…so I don't want to make you nervous." Alice replied sadly.

"What are you talking about Alice? Edward? Is there a vision I should know about?" My wife asked the question and I wished for a second that I could hide my fears from her, but there was no reason to. "Please, you're scaring me!" Her voice was frantic and I didn't know how to continue.

Alice beat me to the punch though and I held Bella to me instead as the words made her legs give out. "The Volturi are leaving here in my vision, but Aro is taking you."

The phone clattered to the floor and I heard Alice exclaim against the loud noise in her ear. "No!" Bella looked up at me from the circle of my arms and denied Alice's vision. "I would rather die than be sent back there Edward. Don't let them take me. I can't live without you. Don't let them…" Her broken sobs were horrible and I crumpled to the floor with my mate huddled close to me. I felt just as scared…but someone needed to keep everything in perspective, and as I had often reminded myself. There was no reason to go to pieces over something that may or may not ever happen.

"I won't let anyone have you Bella. Not even Aro. I can't live without you either love…Alice…Please, keep yourself focused on more important things. I won't let them have you my love, don't worry. Please?" Even as I said the words I knew the truth, that there was a chance that there was nothing I could do.

"Edward is right Bella. I'm not infallible, and we don't know where you're going…just that Aro is taking you there. Don't despair. I'll tell you if I see more or if anything changes, but right now I'm trying to see what I can beyond the wolves. It's really hard for me to get that specific though." Alice consoled Bella into the open air of the room and I smiled at my love which led her to give me back a small tenuous grin.

"Goodbye Alice. We'll be there in a matter of minutes. No more distractions." I said as I closed the cell and placed it back in my pocket while reaching into the other one to retrieve hers. "This belongs to you. Keep it with you and one of us will always be wherever you are within a day. Even Voltera. You must know us well enough that you would understand that if Aro were to take you we would not be far behind." I led my wife from the floor making sure that everything was in order before going back into her room to pick up the destroyed sheets as I stuffed everything into her empty backpack from school and I opened the window for what might be the last time in a very long while. I savored the bittersweet moment that would end an entire chapter of our lives.

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BPOV 

Edward was pulling open the window when I realized that this might be the last time I would see this room. Ever. I looked around and memorized every inch of the space: my closet, my drawers, my bed, and even the ancient computer that I would send Renee E-mails from. The dirty yellowed curtains in the window and the rocking chair that had been there since my mother had rocked me to sleep as a baby. The whole room was a testament to my human life, but there was less and less of that left in my memory.

This was the place where I had learned about love and loss. This house was my connection to who I was before my death, and Edward seemed to understand what was going through my mind because he held me very, very close. The strength of it would have liquefied my very bones had I been human still, but as I was it was just comforting and I realized that much like my human life this wasn't who I was anymore. It didn't stop me from feeling sad, but it did remind me that although I was losing something basic I had gained Edward and his amazing family.

My adoring husband spoke a question to me then, "How are you doing?"

I was extremely happy to comply with an answer and a squeeze to his hand. "Don't worry Edward. I'm actually okay. I'm happy, and Renee is happy, and I don't know what I can do for Charlie, but I'll make sure that he doesn't hate me eventually. He was really mad at me over the phone, and I'm pretty sure that's not going to change overnight. I still have my mother and my father in my heart even if I can't remember every little detail about them, and there's a small chance that someday I'm not going to be so bloodthirsty that I might get to visit them." The last comment made Edward laugh.

"Yes, love. There is the small chance that you won't be stalking your parents in their sleep. You already have more control than I did at the same time. I think you're a much better vampire than I was at your age." Edward poked me in the back and I jumped down from the window into the grass and seconds later he was there with me. As an afterthought Edward turned back toward the house. "Let me lock up and we'll be on our way." I watched as he lithely jumped to the window and slid the pane shut locking the portal against further intrusion, seconds later he was out the front door securing the lock with the key from under the eave.

"I'm going to miss being Charlie's Bella just a little." I stood outside of the house of my past holding hands with my future as I thought out loud. Edward wasn't able to hear my thoughts, and I wanted him to hear everything I was thinking. "I wish I could have found some way to explain to Charlie why I love you so much. I wish I could explain what it was like to find the other half of my soul, but I don't think he'd ever identify with it. I think that's something you have to feel to understand, and I'm not sure that Renee was anything but a step on the path for Charlie. I hope I was a good enough daughter for him to find something like that too. Like when you're watching something happen it sometimes teaches you how to do it. I'd never have given you up to make him happy though. I guess I'm selfish like that too. Charlie, Renee, Jacob, your family, you and I…just between us…I wouldn't have it any other way."

Edward took my hand and led me from the property. It looked empty and without my big ugly/beautiful red truck in the front yard it was obvious to anyone who knew me that I was gone. Maybe the bittersweet feeling that I had was more than nerves, but at this point I was so far along my new path that I couldn't ever go home again. That Bella had already passed out of the world, and I began to understand what Edward had told me so often when I had insisted on being a vampire. This would not be an easy life, but I didn't want things to be easy. I wanted to be with Edward, and now that I was, I couldn't find any remorse hiding in my heart at all. It made me joyful and sorrowful all at once. It was so easy to let all of my life and my memories go if I could share my life, my fate with my love. If that was selfish, then I was the epitome of the word.

"It's not wrong to feel like I'm getting everything I've ever wanted is it love?" I prompted Edward to answer my question as I poked him gently in the ribs and danced ahead slightly in front of him.

"If it's wrong then we're guilty of the same sin. Although I wish it had been on our terms." Edward answered with a slightly regretful tone.

"Maybe it isn't meant to be like that." I started to dash forward and I realized that the sun was dipping very low into the trees.

My husband caught me up quickly and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," I prompted myself. "Maybe we aren't supposed to have everything just the way we want it. That's kind of greedy isn't it? We wouldn't learn anything from it would we? Maybe everyone has to suffer a little to get what they want…maybe that's "God's plan" for us. Maybe he's teaching us humility in the only way we'll ever learn it."

"Bella, you are completely absurd. Although, assuming that you are correct and that God even keeps a plan for us, I do agree with your philosophy. You taught me how to love, and how to live even when I hadn't been alive for eighty years. That is what is commonly referred to as a miracle, and given that I was so attracted to your blood that I nearly slaughtered a room full of people when we first met that would lend credence to the concept that we aren't supposed to get by easily. After all of this is done though do you think we should pray for a little peace? I think I could get the whole family in on that one." Edward smiled his crooked grin and I laughed as we ran together back toward our family and the Volturi in the field we had left them in.

"I would pray for peace too, but I'm afraid of what the price might be." I could see Edward shiver out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look directly at him. "Tell me what it was like there with Jacob on the cliff…" It was the single most morbid curiosity I had ever entertained aloud and I gasped after I realized I had said the words. "Edward, I promise you don't have to answer that!"

"It's not a problem...I made you tell your story. I'm not sure I can put it into words though. I got there after everything was over, but watching what had happened in Jacob's mind it was literally like I had seen it. I'm used to that feeling, but I've never seen you killed before, so it took me by surprise. I remember not being able to really think or function. I tried to get the wolves to kill me. I provoked Jacob to try to get him to hurt me, but for some reason I just couldn't seem to get anyone to understand how much pain I was in." Edward finished and took my hand and I immediately slowed down. The clearing that used to contain my new family's home was up ahead and I could actually see the milling bodies as well as feel my ability opening up to those that were closest to me. "Can you use your gift from here?"

I thought it was an unusual question, but I nodded my head. "I can use it from a greater distance if I focus hard enough, but it's always dependent on the powers out there. I can't just remember one and use it."

"Bella, please promise me that you'll do everything you can to stay safe. We have earned a measure of peace. I won't let the Volturi use you like I think they are going to attempt to. In the event that I speak for you I want you to stay silent. Please don't think that I'm trying to control you…I just have more experience with political psychology. You have choices. Just because Aro is your sire, you don't have to answer to him." My Edward's words were quick and quiet.

"I'm still going to choose for myself, but I won't speak over you unless I think you're being ridiculous." I answered back with a serious look.

"Are you ready for this my love?" Edward asked me a question that sounded extremely similar to that of Felix and I nodded my head.

"I'm ready." This time, it was true, and there was nothing standing in the way of my happiness but an endless sea of vampires, ancient lost stories from the Bible, and the whole future of mankind. All in all, I was feeling confident, all things considered.


	16. Rising Tide

Escaping Sol

Rising Tide

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma151773012

Here we go! More exposition.

For those who know my situation…things got worse today. My grandfather's blood pressure went down to fifty today. Obviously I went to the hospital. I will be going again later today, but I promised that this chapter would be out today, and it will. : ) If you see anything wrong let me know.

I don't own Twilight.

Let's just go!

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BPOV

We were walking up the driveway holding hands when our family spotted us. Alice ran up to me and bounced up and down in a very good imitation of a five year old. "Well?" Edward and I looked at each other and looked back at Alice.

"No, Alice." Edward put his arm around me and shook his head. "We won't be discussing that." I looked at Alice's crestfallen face and then back at Edward. I must have looked as confused as I felt because Edward smiled at me and kissed my temple and then spoke directly into my ear. "She wanted to know how things went."

"How things…ALICE!" I spun around and glared at my pixie sister. "There is no way that is going on the public record. The only person I want knowing about that kind of stuff is Edward and me."

"I promise not to use my knowledge for evil…" Alice hedged as she gave me a look that screamed innocence. "There isn't anyone around that would care anyway."

"Personally I don't care what your intentions are because we won't be telling you." I said with a smiling conviction.

"You don't have to tell me every little detail…" Alice poked me in the arm as we continued walking toward the crowd and I took a deep breath to concentrate on being myself as the catalogue grew and crashed around in my head.

"We don't have to tell you any little detail." Edward rolled his eyes as if the comment had worn him thin, but I could see that our ridiculous conversation was hiding another more serious one. He couldn't hide the comprehension in his eyes from me. Alice was talking, and Edward was responding with his beautiful eyes.

My lack of concentration caused me to lose control for a brief second and I stumbled for only a moment before Edward caught my arm. The feeling of drowning returned with a vengeance and a pain that came from the many different unrestrained powers flowed through my body like unwanted old company.

"Thank you." I whisperingly spoke trying to get myself back to normal as quickly as possible using my husband's presence to calm and focus me. The strain was unimaginable, but I concentrated as hard as I could. Slowly the overwhelming feelings became manageable once again but not before I let out a small whimper. Regret washed over me. I couldn't possibly let him know how much discomfort I felt, he would worry.

As if he could read my thoughts Edward questioned me immediately, "Are you in pain?" He was immediately holding me and stroking my hair. I thought I had hidden it pretty well, obviously not.

It would be worse if I tried to lie because Edward would already know it. I didn't think my nonexistent power of subterfuge had changed with the rest of me. "A little." I admitted wishing I could just stay silent and suffer without my love's knowledge. "It's just overwhelming. The numbers I mean."

"Explain?" Edward prompted me

"I can't really describe it…It just is." I said very unhelpfully.

Jasper looked over at us and suddenly Edward was wincing and shaking his head with an annoyed look that quickly turned to snarling anger. "That is what it feels like?"

"Thanks Jasper…" I mumbled and my brother had the good sense to look abashed. "No…it only hurts when I can't keep it in. It only hurts when I lose control, and that's getting easier…"

"So it only hurts most of the time?" Edward asked while he glared at the three brothers of the Volturi his voice dripping with malice. "What about when that boy was touching you? What was that like?"

I refused to answer that question on principal alone. I may have been a newborn…but I wasn't born yesterday. "Please don't be angry. I'm sure everyone went through an adjustment at first…" The words sounded hollow in my own mouth and sounded wooden and fake in my ears. "I'm sure I'll get better at it over time. I can handle it so...please don't be angry Edward."

"I'm not angry darling." Edward quickly soothed me, "Never at you love! I'm sorry it seemed like that. I just…this is not a good time to test your abilities. We don't know if there is a limit to your power, or what their real restrictions are. I'm angry that Aro intends to use you when you are so young and untrained just to see if you are capable. This is all some game to them. You are much too precious to me…" I looked away from my husband as Alice placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Please, don't turn away. I've missed your face." The words were a hushed whisper and were followed by a gentles caress on my face. "For your sake, I will try to trust them. I will follow you."

"That's not right Edward, and you know it." Rosalie stood with Emmett his hands were curled over hers while her arms crossed over her chest her voice clear and chiding. "You need to walk side by side. No one can follow and no one can lead…that's what love is. You spend too much time worrying about what hasn't happened yet; you'd swear you were the one who saw the future instead of Alice!"

"Rose is right Edward. I want to protect my wife…I won't pretend I don't worry about her. It wouldn't be right though to limit her or put too much on her shoulders by asking her to choose for me. I have to let her stand with me or it gets really misbalanced. You guys think that we leave the house so much because we're sex fiends…and we are…but that's not the only reason. You have to let your mate be the other half of yourself, and when we start to feel a shift in our lives we get back to basics." Emmett spoke as he eyed the vampires around us warily.

I had never given much thought to the relationship between Emmett and Rosalie. They had a very passionate existence, and they were always touching or thinking about each other. Just because they were more physical than Esme and Carlisle or less prosaic about the location of their trysts than Jasper and Alice I always assumed their love was superficial. More than that I began to understand what a well tended marriage they had and how much they must really have in common despite all of their differences. I was a little ashamed that I had never given them more respect as a couple…and it made me realize something very important.

"You like me?" I looked at Rosalie with dawning confusion.

"Of course I do you silly girl! What gave you the impression that I didn't?" Rosalie scoffed.

"I could be wrong…but I think your poor attitude could be the culprit." Alice interjected.

"Or it could be the fact that you had a tendency to be rude and dismissive." Jasper supplied.

"It might have been when you voted her out of the family." Emmett suggested.

"I didn't vote her out of the family! I suggested she find another more stable one." Rosalie yelled back at her smiling family.

"Don't forget your general rudeness Rose." My husband smirked.

"Why should I treat her any differently than any of you? I was showing her equality. Granted, I was more thankful to Bella than I've ever been to you Edward…after all you're much more bearable when she's around." Rosalie studied her nails and looked at me sideways. "I always treated her as your equal Edward. No more, no less."

There was silence for a few moments before we all started to laugh. I threw my arms around Rosalie and smiled joyously as I whispered to her, "I know that now. Thank you Rosalie."

"I may never understand what you see in him, but you are my sister after all." She spoke with a quiet smile. I felt a tingle shoot up and down my entire body. Carlisle and Esme walked toward us and away from Aro, Marcus, Caius, and Felix. They were smiling very fondly at the group of us, but I would have had to have been blind not to notice their tense gait. I wanted to ask them what was wrong, but as I slowly released Rosalie and backed away Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all gasped.

"Rose?" Emmett placed his hand on his wife's face and I turned to look at her. She looked…

"Human." Edward's face was one of shock. "Just like before…" Her lips were a light pink, her skin was actually slightly flush, and her hair was still beautiful, but not unnaturally so. Rosalie's features were undeniably beautiful, but she was not the eldritch goddess I had grown accustomed to. OH! DEAR GOD! I was up to my old tricks again.

A very small part of myself that died very quickly almost wanted a mirror. Vanity was never a problem for me…but I was guessing that her ability had brought out the very best in my looks, and if I were ever going to know myself as a great beauty it would have to be here in this moment. I had a feeling I would never get to do this again. "I'm sorry!" I willed her beauty back to her and it melted back like an illusion that never left.

Emmett had an incredibly stupid grin on his face. "Exactly like I pictured…"

Rosalie looked at me with a sort of wonder. I saw her lip tremble slightly in a way that let me know she had been overcome with emotion. "We will do that again…when I can see." My head nodded and I felt eyes concentrating on us and I turned to see the absolute sea of Volturi soldiers staring at us.

"Ha!" Aro began talking and the eyes shifted to his face. "Now that we have everyone's attention we can start. The sun is gone. The time has come for us to put all of this behind us. The delusions of Jane and Alec threaten us all. We must be vigilant and fight them before they can get away with their plot! They will not be expecting our presence, and the Cullens will meet them alone on the field of battle while we lie in wait. They will arrive confident to the point of making arrogant mistakes. After we are done they will all be defeated. There will be no survivors. As all of you know by now we will be entering this space on two sides and then after they are once again tricked by our numbers a third group will come in behind them and finish them completely. Bella will keep them under control by absorbing their gifts." Edward noticeably shivered with anger beside me and cleared his throat to speak.

EPOV

"She can't do that Aro." I spoke with conviction in my wife's defense. How dare he try to hurt her just for his own experiments! "We can't possibly allow her to be used in such a fashion."

"Dear boy, my daughter is adept in anything she puts her mind to. She can hold all of their power in the palm of her hand. Don't be so naive. Your woman is no longer human…frail and weak. She is a vampire, my daughter, and one of the Volturi." Every member of my family tensed at this statement. Even Carlisle who was usually so collected seemed to hunch down into a feral crouch at the suggestion of Bella being one of them. She was my wife….it made me angry for him to suggest she wasn't mine when she had freely given herself to me. "You should give her the credit she is due." The old vampire spoke in hushed tones, but every creature could feel his condescension toward my comment.

_'Don't respond Edward…'_ Carlisle warned. My family was making an effort to say my name when they intended to speak in our minds. Alice had mentioned it when we arrived so that I could cut off most of the minds around us. They were mostly concentrating on the task ahead anyway, and those who weren't didn't seem to think anything of use.

I retaliated against my father's wishes. "You're making assumptions! What if she gets hurt trying to do what you're suggesting? Do you know how much she suffers when she is out of control? What if her body can't take the strain? Will you be the one to make her mind whole again?"

"Once again you're not giving her the opportunity to prove herself. As my daughter, she is exceptional…you'll see." He smiled at Bella and she shivered.

Aro turned away from my family as if to suggest that he would brook no further opposition and began to speak again. "Once we have finished here we will have to make sure our records are complete. A new bookkeeper will have to be assigned, because ours seems to be busy retaliating against us." A laugh came out over the crowd and I felt Bella look up to me which called my attention to her as she tuned out my consideration of the rest of the Volturi.

"I stayed silent like you asked…but I don't think it helped." She whispered in a clear bell like tone. "Edward…is it true? Do the Volturi own me?"

"Never!" I whispered back. "You don't belong to anyone…"

"I belong to you." She whispered back fiercely.

I felt my heart lift at her words. She and I would figure out a way to stop them from claiming her. "As I belong to you love…for all time."

_'Edward! He's starting back into the battle…and he's about to bring up our friends at La Push…' _Alice warned me in my head, calling my name to get my attention.

"Last but not least we shall be joined in the fight by a pack of wolves. We are not to harm them in any way. They are going out of their way to show us that courtesy…the very least we can do is to reciprocate. In the event that they engage you in battle you may of course fight back…Kill them if necessary." I felt Bella quake with anger at the suggestion of her friends being hurt. "That should not occur though because Bella will be in charge of our canine friends."

Her eyes went up to mine in panic. "Why me?"

"You are their friend. You said so yourself. Inform them that any loss suffered on our side will be meted out in their death…they will understand that…even given their simple minds." Aro laughed and the rest laughed with him. I looked at Bella and the strain of my worry must have shown on my face because she took my hand in a hard squeeze.

"This is my fault. I tied myself to Jacob and the pack on the way over." She explained with a regretful face. "I didn't know he would expect their involvement. In fact…I figured he would tell me to keep them away. I don't know when he got it in his head to include them. He never discussed it with me."

_'Tell her not to sweat it bloodsucker. We would have fought here even if we would have known their ridiculous rules, although I'd like to know how the hell we're supposed to know one group from the other.'_ Jacob's voice was in my head and I turned my head and kissed Bella's cheek so that I could look behind us and I could make out the shapes of the wolves in the darkness of the forest. I shook my head and quickly moved my hand in a negating fashion under the cover of my wife's back. Bella felt me move my hand away and was about to look behind her.

"Don't." I whispered as quietly as I could. She blinked deliberately once as if to tell me she understood.

Aro had not noticed the wolves and continued his speech. "I will give you and your family an hour to find and update the creatures before we begin. Alice and Jasper will draw the rouge elements of the Volturi here to the site of your home It's not the largest place we could attempt to find, but it is the most convenient since it isn't closer to the human settlement. If anyone has any questions please go through the chain of command to get them answered before bothering us. Bella dear if you could come join us for a moment away from your family I would like to speak with you."

I couldn't believe that he would suggest she leave my side. After a week of agony without her in my presence I didn't know if I would ever let her be alone ever again, let alone in the company of these creatures. I began scanning through his thoughts for any malicious intent. He was going to discuss the wolves with her…and to explain her role in the Volturi. I growled and Bella began to walk forward to Aro.

"Where are you going?" I asked as my hand closed around her wrist.

"Lord Aro…" My love's eyes became wide for a second before she placed her hand over her mouth. I was stunned as well and said nothing to her about the title that she had just used. "I'm…not sure where that came from."

"Have you taken a place with them?" The words hurt me as they left my lips. I wanted to think that Bella wouldn't be with the Volturi by her own decision, but if she had pledged herself to them I could find a way to live with it. I would have to. I couldn't live without her.

"No. Edward I promise. If I have somehow signed up I didn't know it. I hope they won't be disappointed when I quit." Bella commented lightly, but I could see the strain in her eyes.

I tried to console her. "Nothing will come between us again. I swear it. We will come through all of this and that will be the beginning of everything. We'll see the world, or we'll just stay here wrapped in each other's arms. I'll tell all the stories of my life…all of the things I've wanted and needed from you and you from me. They will be ours. I pro…"

Bella's hand came up and silenced me and said a most heartbreaking thing. "Don't." Her face was suddenly grave and very sad. "You can't make that promise yet. Not until this is over. I couldn't stand it if something happened and one of us was unable to keep that promise. I couldn't bear to hurt you like that again."

"Living without you will never be an option for me. It wasn't an option when you were human and it still remains unfathomable now that you aren't. I won't live without you." I stated very clearly.

"For me either, I won't live without you." She turned away and walked to Aro who received her with a smile.

"That fossil is making me angry." Alice said with malice.

"Edward, why did you disobey me now of all times?" Carlisle asked quietly.

I looked sharply at my father. "My wife's life and future are being decided for us. Tell me you would have felt any differently if Esme were being taken from you."

Carlisle continued, "They won't take her. I've spoken to Aro, and he's made his concession. If Bella participates here and now they will allow us to have her without any interference, of course that is contingent upon us winning and being alive to have her. Also, they want Bella to be the last of our number. We should not add to our family in any way. In the case that either you or Bella die...you will be alone. We too will not be allowed to further ourselves either so if any of us are to lose a mate we cannot take another."

"I won't let anyone or anything come near her. I swear it." I said with conviction.

"I know that son…but you have to understand that anything can happen by now?" He said this with a smile, but it was strained. As if to himself my father said, "If anyone tried to take Esme from me I would rend them apart."

Esme looked at him with a meaningful smile and walked over to her husband, "As if I would be any different?" She held her hand out to me. "We are a finished family now. There is nothing that can stand in the way of that." She looked at her husband and spoke in a quiet tone. "I promise I will not be harmed."

It was strange…I couldn't seem to look into either of their minds…they were keeping their thoughts from me completely. Esme was thinking of what she would have to do with the insurance on the house and how it was covered by fire…Carlisle was thinking about transferring his paperwork and where we might move that would be fun for the rest of us even with a newborn in the house. I was happy he was thinking charitably about my wife, but what did I really expect from Carlisle. On the other hand the fact that they were going out of their way to think about this was worrying me.

Jasper began speaking quickly, "We're going to leave up out of here in at least twenty minutes. Alice knows exactly where the army is, but we're going to play with them for a bit. She sees about two hundred including more newborns, but they are mostly seasoned veterans. Edward, I've already weighed in on your behalf to Marcus. I told him I thought it was foolish to have Bella fighting with her newborn instincts, especially since she has nothing but raw emotion on her side…no art in her fighting. He wants Emmett and Felix to post either side of her. I told him you wouldn't leave her side, but he said he has something else in mind for you. He wouldn't tell me what. I believe they'll want to speak with you alone."

"You all know this is insanity correct? We're fighting a war for a bunch of monsters." Rosalie stated with a frown. "If this were for any reason but for Bella I swear I wouldn't even do it."

"Come on Rosie, it'll be fun. I promise I won't lose any body parts this time. Those other vampires just snuck up on me. If they hadn't been cheating it wouldn't have even happened." Emmett said with a tight lipped smile.

"Not now Emmett! This is serious!" Rosalie cried.

"I hate to agree with Rosalie on anything…but this is Bella's life we're talking about here. I'm not going to be able to think straight with her in so much danger. I won't be able to take my eyes off of her. How safe is that?" I argued.

Emmett countered, "I know it isn't. If you think for a second that I'm going to let any of you out of my sight tonight you're out of your mind. I know this is serious, but I'm not going to let myself get too bent out of shape about it. If I do, the fight will be harder. You know that just as well as I do!"

_'That's enough of that!'_ Esme thought before she broke into their conversation "Emmett, Edward, and Rosalie…please stop fighting. We're going to get out of this just fine. This is no different than any other obstacle. There are no surprises here. We are going to fight for the love of our family. That is the only thing worth fighting for. When we are done, there is going to be a future for us somewhere else and we can leave all of this business behind us. Personally I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet. In the meantime we have an hour to find the wolves and move the cars."

_'Edward, you should tell your family that we'll meet them over at Charlie's house. Don't forget Bella. She seems a little agitated over there.'_ Jacob's voice spoke directly to my mind and I did notice that Bella seemed exasperated. So much so that Felix was constantly putting a hand on her shoulder and she was batting it away like it was an annoying fly. Her lips were absolutely flying, but she was whispering at a level we couldn't hear.

"Let's get Bella and the cars…before she gets herself into trouble." Carlisle sighed next to me.

My head perked up at that. Oh yes! My cars! They had survived the fire and were now in the only remaining building. "Could we put them in Charlie's yard?" I ventured out loud. "Technically he's family." My family agreed quickly that this was the best turn of events without my even bringing up the wolves and we began to get ready to move them. Esme would bring the Volvo. I would bring the Astin Martin. Jasper would get my motorcycle and Rosalie would bring over Bella's in the back of Emmett's Jeep. Alice would bring her Porsche. Carlisle would get his BMW and Emmett would handle the Jeep.

We walked together through the field of vampires toward a still exasperated Bella. The three head's of the Volturi were all seemingly amused by her temper tantrum as they were all smiling. "Can I have my wife back now. We're going to find the wolves and get our cars away from here." They all looked at each other for a second and there was a general consensus that they were done speaking with my exasperated mate.

"Certainly you may have her back, but only if we may caution to have a word with you, young Edward." Aro smilingly approved. No one in my memory had referred to me this way since I was human. Part of me was nostalgic as it reminded me that yes indeed I was Edward junior to my father's Edward Senior. No matter how long ago it was, I was still Edward Masen the second hidden under all of my years as a vampire. It was unusual in my mind to be reminded of this fact by an ancient vampire who probably remembered nothing of his human life.

"Certainly." I gave in quickly. It was not going to help anyone for me to show disrespect to any of the Volturi, and now that my father had already made our demands I had to show him my support. I handed a surprised Bella my keys. "This is the ring for the Aston." I pulled it off the connector along with the keys for the Volvo. "This is the ring for the Volvo. Those go to Esme darling. Can you drive a five speed?" She nodded her head and I smiled. "Good." I'll be with you shortly, but in the case that this takes longer I expect you to follow Alice. She will leave when it's best to go so follow her like a hawk. Try not to dent my car." The rest of my keys went into my pocket.

Bella rolled her eyes at me but I couldn't help, under the humor, to notice that she was afraid of something.

BPOV

The moment I was away from my family I felt almost naked and alone. I had wrapped myself in the warm blanket that were my feelings for Edward and my family, and now that I didn't have it at my fingertips the feeling was bitter cold.

"Well Bella Cullen. You see? Now everything is equal. You are joined with your lover, the plan is set, and you are free again to make your own way." Aro said with a commiserating smile.

"Not exactly," I corrected. "You have yet to release me. Don't think I didn't notice you saying that I was one of you." I hedged a bet that it would be okay for me to be a bit more blunt with Aro now that he had named me as his daughter in an open dialogue with two hundred or so of the Volturi standing by.

"So is Carlisle in his own way. Never forget that I sired you Bella. It may become important someday when you least expect." He chose his words carefully and it put me on edge. "I didn't call you over here to discuss your lineage though. There is something that I want you to do for me."

"You mean other than wrangling a werewolf pack? There's something else?" I asked with a sigh.

"Of course there is always something else." Marcus answered back. "Congratulations on your marriage. I hope it lasts forever."

"Thank you." I answered back with genuine thanks. "What is the other thing I need to do?"

"Pass judgment on your killers." Caius said with no pre-amble.

"You want me to do what?" I asked incredulously.

"We need you to pass judgment on Alec and Jane and her people. You are going to meet someone after you join the wolves, someone that we have discussed in the past few hours. When you meet her I want you to tell her your entire story from beginning to end. Everything you remember from your human life and everything that brought you to this moment. Leave nothing out so that your wolf friends will not be in danger." Aro answered back.

"Are they part of the Volturi?" I asked with concern. "How will I know her?"

"You will know her. Trust me. She will arrive with a pack of her own wolves. Pure white mongrels that answer to her in every way, so make sure you explain yourself before she gets the chance to sick them on you." Aro laughed. "They are not the Volturi. Everyone must answer to someone…and we answer to her. You must treat her with respect, for she is even my elder…and that's saying something! HA!"

I wasn't so amused. "What makes you so sure I'm going to know who she is? How do you know she won't just kill me and wander off?" This was a frustrating conversation. "I thought you all hated the wolves! If that's true how come she's fighting with them?"

"She is an enigma…just like you my lovely daughter." Aro pushed my hair behind my ear in a fatherly gesture that made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Are you really going to meet with Lillith?" Felix asked with concerned jealousy as he put a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off and the panic set in.

"AM I?" I hissed in a whisper.

"Yes…" Aro spoke with a reverent smile.

"Why in the world would anyone on the planet that has any sense whatsoever send me to meet with someone who has been on the planet since God made women? HUH? How much do you want the crazy wrath of God to come down on our heads here? Did you get the memo about me being a danger magnet? You missed that part apparently, but I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not the best person to send on a dangerous mission." I whispered fiercely.

"So she's old as dirt and has a pack of ball-lickers. You're as young as they come and you have a pack of ball-lickers. Bond over it." Felix suggested. I swatted his hand away again.

"Is she expecting me?" I asked with fear settling in.

"Not exactly, she is expecting to come here to put a stop to all of this, perhaps to the point of ending all of our existences when she arrives with her family. It is her prerogative. We are all in our own way her children, so her discipline of us is to be expected right?" Aro looked at his brothers who seemed to think that this was acceptable. It wasn't.

I was angry and afraid. "What if she doesn't want to listen to me? What if I fail?"

"We may all die. It's within her power to give life and take it away. That is Lillith's true gift. The gift of life…or death." Aro said with quiet comfort. He said it as if it was a tolerable end. "I'm putting my faith in you and your unusual family to come through for me. They know nothing of this situation and you must not tell them. One of my Volturi is a shape shifter as you well know. They will be taking your place until you bring Lillith to us. You must not tell Edward. I am going to use his singular power to aid you, but if his mind is clouded with fear he may not do what is in his nature to do for you, and we all may be lost."

Immediately I pled against his idea. "I don't think I can do this Aro. Caius…Marcus…tell him I'm not a good candidate for this. I'm just Bella, and I'm clumsy and bad luck follows me everywhere! I'm not even a particularly good vampire right?"

"You are extraordinary." Marcus said with a contemplative air.

"You don't even know your own strength yet." Caius said with conviction.

"Only you can save us and your family. Only you can hold back the destruction of everyone you love. Don't run from destiny. This was going to occur if you were here with them or not. Jane and Alec have had the Cullen's under a watchful eye since they let this madness creep up on them. They have been the target of their ire because they live in harmony with what they consider to be lesser beings. The only difference is that they would have been fighting without you. Edward would have never known the sacrifices of true love and you would be waiting for an all clear from the CDC letting you know you could come back to your house and your finite human life." Aro explained with an air of certainty.

"Come on Angel…do it for your good pal Felix." Felix put his hand on my shoulder again and I swatted at it.

"Don't call me Angel…I'm not…" I felt the weight of this situation crushing me.

"Of course you are! I've never met someone so willing to place themselves in danger for others. You came to a city full of vampires to save one from death. There isn't a human alive that would do that. You are unfailingly self-sacrificing. She will see that. She will see your heart before you ever open your mouth. She and her guard will know you for what you are, an angel who was brought to earth to be the other half of a creature that was suffering his immortality and longing for a heart. Longing only for you for a century, because you were God's gift to Edward Cullen's limitless life, he was without passion and humanity before you." Aro argued.

"Edward would never allow me to do this." I said extremely agitated. Certain that Aro was reversely correct…in that God had made Edward a vampire so that I could have him.

Aro smiled "Yes…he wouldn't. But you're not going to tell him, and neither am I so now that we have that out of the way there's nothing to worry about."

"You think it's going to be that simple? You think Edward is not going to know that whoever you're making over to look like me isn't me? He'll be able to read their mind. He'll be expecting not to hear me." I argued in nearly silent angry whispers.

"Don't worry, we already have a plan in place to help that along." Marcus let out a hissing laugh that was just a bit disconcerting.

"Thanks. I'm at ease. I suppose you aren't going to explain that aspect of the plan to little old me are you?" I asked with extreme exasperation.

"No." Caius said lamely.

"That's just great! What happens when this fails and I end up getting killed? My luck is bound to jump in and make us dead. When it does…I don't want to hear any complaints from anyone here. I warned you that I'm not the right girl for the job…" I spoke in more hissed whispers as my worry got worse.

Just as I was about to tell them where they could stick their assertions or ask any more questions my own personal miracle spoke from behind me. "Can I have my wife back now. We're going to find the wolves and get our cars away from here."

"Certainly you may have her back, but only if we may caution to have a word with you, young Edward." Aro continued smiling his exasperating grin. Now he was going to tell my husband a lie that was going to give me the opportunity to go on my little suicide mission. Great. There was nothing I could say or do to make this situation better. I would have to go along with their plot for now. Go along because it was what was best for my family. I couldn't wait for a day to come when we were allowed to just be ourselves again. I glared daggers at the Volturi princes and they smiled condescendingly back.

"Certainly." Edward surprised me with his no nonsense and easy answer. I wanted to shake him and scream. Instead I clenched my fist in front of my chest and counted to ten before schooling my face and turning to face my husband. "This is the ring for the Aston. This is the ring for the Volvo. Those go to Esme darling. Can you drive a five speed?" I nodded my head with numb surprise. I was going to drive the Aston? Edward had a smile on his face that broke my heart inside. How could I hide this horrible task and the awful ache inside my chest? "Good. I'll be with you shortly, but in the case that this takes longer I expect you to follow Alice. She will leave when it's best to go so follow her like a hawk. Try not to dent my car." I had to act normally. I had to pretend that everything was fine. I rolled my eyes in the manner that he would expect…but inside I was scared and alone.

I kissed him on his cheek and whispered in his ear to ease his look of suspicion. "I'll be waiting….always. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll be with you before you know it." Edward spoke in a small whisper and drew his fingers up my sides until I shivered. We parted and I walked quickly toward the garage.

I felt the hole starting to rip into my chest. The tear that said we'd be apart again. The terror and anguish must have been clear to my brother Jasper because he literally turned and looked for some kind of attacker or something to hit. When he looked at me and ran forward I shook my head and put my hand on his shoulder. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't and neither can you…Please?"

Jasper seemed to question it for a second and then nodded his head. "I wish you would tell me anyway. You know I'm not going to betray you."

"You're right, I would never believe you would tell anyone if I asked…but if you don't know…" I began.

"Then Edward can't see. What are you planning Bella?" Jasper questioned quietly.

"Nothing. I'm planning absolutely nothing. Give these to Alice?" I handed him the keys to the Volvo and made my way to the Aston Martin only to find there was someone waiting for me inside.

EPOV

I stood in front of the Volturi leaders wishing I could stay by Bella's side. There was no way their conversation was as innocent as they tried to make it seem. She wouldn't have been that irritated, and there was a part of me that panicked when she kissed me so gently…It almost felt like goodbye. Had these monsters told her something about her future with them that was unavoidable? Were they taking her from me? Was she trying to let me know subtly that she was going to go with them?

"My, my, you look like you're worried over something. I assure you that Bella is safe. We won't take her from you. I have given Carlisle my word. Isn't that good enough for you?" Aro questioned me.

"You have to pardon me. Where Bella is concerned I have to feel wary. We haven't had the best of luck keeping her safe, and I am responsible for her life now." I answered his question with my most valid concerns. I didn't feel the need to say anything more. They didn't need me to validate my thoughts or feelings through them and I didn't owe it to them.

"We need your particular expertise. When Jane and Alec arrive I need you to focus on their thoughts and share them. I need you to ask them their reasons for what they have done and if their answers differ from what they say I need you to vocalize their reasons. We need you to bring the truth out them…and it has to be as clear as you can make it. Ask leading questions and center on the answers." Marcus spoke and I was surprised at the length of time he took to speak. I had never heard him really speak.

"What purpose could that possibly serve?" I asked with confusion.

"We have a republic of sorts. We need to be certain of the crimes before we can hold them responsible for them." Aro stated.

The concept made me growl. "You need confirmation of something you already know?"

"It is referred to as justice. We can't just go around doing anything we want without any kind of serious proof." Caius stated drolly.

"Fine. I'll do what you ask, but what if they don't want to talk? Not everyone is as excited about an open dialog as you." I protested back.

"If they won't cooperate you must drag it out while you fight. I need you to focus your energy away from your mate for the good of our kind. I have given you the promise that she will be yours without any other contingencies…I believe that giving my new daughter to you is more than worth five minutes of your time." Aro prompted.

I looked between the three and listened to their thoughts and they were all focused similarly on the words I was saying and what Aro had just said. If they were planning anything duplicitous I wouldn't know unless they got to that point. It worried me that they were already so easily focused against my power, but I should have known really. They had been alive for centuries, and they knew the extent of my power. I couldn't know if someone was lying in their head, I could only see the thoughts not their sincerity.

Why ask me to do these things? Why not ask someone who was one of theirs to beat the truth out of them? What would the purpose in my role play, unless they were trying to distract me…unless there was something that I needed to be wary of?

"Go with your family. Return quickly and be ready to fight. The night is young. We have much to do before this night is over." Aro dismissed me as if I was under his control, but there was very little I could say that would make a difference in that. I wasn't going to needlessly start issues; it could cause trouble for our negotiations over Bella's freedom. Now was not the time. Once our end of the bargain was taken care of…then I could make a decision about whether or not I would be belligerent.

It took me a few moments to get to my family and the garage. Bella was speaking in the car with someone and Alice was leaning out the window of her bright yellow car. "Get a move on. We've waited for just about as long as we could!" I shook my head and watched as Esme got into the car with Carlisle. Whoever was in the vehicle with Bella was gone.

"I'm back my darling wife. Did you miss me?" I smiled and she laughed.

"Yes, although as you probably noticed I'm always hanging out with someone." She answered.

"Who were you talking to? I didn't see." I coaxed her to speak.

"Felix. He was trying to get me up to date on everything that's going on. He says that we're going to stand in the middle of the field and play bait. It makes me nervous. They want me to stand close enough to use my power, so they've decided to have Emmett and Felix stand with me up front. For some reason they think it will intimidate them to see me alive. I think it sounds really stupid." My wife was right. That was incredibly stupid.

"There is no way you are standing away from me." I put my hand over hers as she began to shift out of first into second. "I've made my own promises…but I won't have you away from me."

"So have I love…and I will do this because I promised I would. If it starts to go out of control I can count on you right? Just because you're behind me doesn't mean you can't protect me. In fact I expect you to." Her focus on the road was intense but her words made me feel comforted.

"Thank you for understanding that I want to feel needed. I know you can take care of yourself…but I'm glad you still desire me to be there." I said with what I hoped would be a seductive smile.

My wife's return smile was full of love. "Every day until the very end."

When we arrived at the house Bella parked the Aston in her old space and everyone else took up space on the lawn. The wolves were waiting for us as men standing around on Charlie's porch. "I'm really glad there's nobody around right now…because it would be really hard to explain why there are a bunch of half naked people standing around on the Police Chief's porch. We could always say we're putting on a bachellorette party…that wouldn't really explain Leah…that would probably be one heck of an explanation. One I wouldn't really have to come up with."

"I'm glad to see you're taking this fight well." I said without a smile. "We really should be focusing on the fight. Not making up excuses for why you're not fully dressed."

"Edward be nice." My wife admonished me. "Thank you for helping us. I assume you heard everything about what they want."

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to know who's who? What are we going to do to keep from accidentally killing the wrong bloodsuckers?" Jacob asked. _'As if I would care if I thought we could get away with it. They are going to kill us regardless.' _

"We'll do everything in our power to keep the Volturi from hurting your pack. Jasper will fill you in on every aspect of the plan and hopefully we'll be able to keep anyone from getting hurt. In the end…if things become too hard…I expect you all to leave." Carlisle spoke clearly and was completely no nonsense. His thoughts were still totally set on the task at hand.

"Do you think we're going to bail on you?" Quill asked with a confused frustration.

"Not at all, we just want to protect you as well as we can. This is a fight between the Volturi and its turncoat warriors. The only reason we are fighting is for Bella's freedom from Aro. You don't need to needlessly die..." Carlisle continued.

"I think now might be a good time to start explaining the battle plan." Jacob interrupted. "We're going to help you, that's already been decided."

"Thank you. Jasper…" My father stepped aside and Jasper walked forward to begin the explanation of the three sided assault and how they would best fight the Volturi."

"Edward…" My wife took my hand and walked to the side of the house away from the situation at hand. "I want you to do me a favor. From this moment forward…I need you to not touch me. I can't concentrate as easily when you're touching me…so I need you to kiss me. Please…"

I didn't need any invitation to kiss or touch my mate. I ran my hands over her body and claimed her lips. The kiss was intense and full of whispered "I love you's" and promises to come back quickly. It was strangely bittersweet with its ferocity. I held her away from me the second after I realized the intent of what she was doing. "Why are you saying goodbye?"

"Don't be silly. I'll never say goodbye again." She said with a look of desperation on her face.

"Tell me the truth. Tell me you aren't leaving." I demanded as I shook her shoulders.

"I…Edward. Why would I leave?" She argued back.

"That isn't what I said Bella. Tell me." I demanded again.

Her lips crashed against my own again and she pushed me against the wall as her hands traveled over my body. I was losing my focus. Her words left me breathless and we were both getting too physically involved. "I'm not going to leave you. Not on purpose. Not if I have a choice."

My love continued talking now that we had calmed down. "Good…Now…I believe that I have a lot of work ahead of me. I have a bunch of wolves to bring to the house and I assume they've given you something to do because you looked stressed out after your little chat. How about I meet you there and you keep the family together.

"You don't want me to come with you?" I questioned her, not because I didn't think she was capable of making it across town, but because I wanted her by my side.

"You know it isn't that, I just want to give Alice and Jasper time to play with Jane." She kissed my cheek again and took my hand. "Please. Please. Be careful. I will be there before you know it. I promise."

I turned back toward my family with a frown. Once again, there was something going on that I couldn't explain. My wife was hiding something from me, and I didn't know what it was…but there was no way she was going to be out of my sight.


	17. Monsters in the Darkness

Escaping Sol

Escaping Sol

Monsters in the Darkness

A Twilight Fanfiction

By Ranma151773012

I'm going to be going on vacation here in the next couple of weeks so I may take a small sabbatical from writing. Or who knows. I may write more. Time will only tell. Obviously I'm not going on vacation without my laptop. That would be like some kind of torture. However, I'm not sure that my mother in law down in Florida even has the internet so uploading may be a problem. For some reason she's still banging away on a stone tablet with a chisel. I'll have to go to Starbucks…or Panera…or gosh…a truck stop.

That being said I'm trying to update all three stories I'm writing at the moment before I leave. This means that I'm going BETA FREE! That means of course that I'll be frustrated with everything I put out and hoping that you all spot my problems before I'm too embarrassed to ever write again.

Twilight doesn't belong to me. Lillith doesn't belong to me. The Bible…well I have one, but the concept certainly doesn't belong to me. The city of Nod is mentioned in the Bible…and doesn't belong to me. Huh…this stuff just about writes itself.

BPOV:

The second I was inside the Aston Martin I noticed that my passenger was Esme. She looked at me with a small smile and spoke, "Aro doesn't trust Felix not to tell someone about the finer details of his plan. I'm going to be pretending to be you with the aid of a shape shifter. Another shifter is going to pretend to be me. I'm going to try very hard not to give myself away to Edward."

"Is this the part where everyone jumps out and says April Fools?" I looked at my mother with questioning narrowed eyes.

"I wish I could tell you that it was, but I have already agreed to do this…for your sake. Carlisle is angry, but I would do anything for your and Edward's happiness. I am going to stand out front when we go to confront Jane and Alec, and Emmett and Felix are going to stand with me. Aro says that they won't be expecting you to be alive, so it may shock them into going along with things they normally wouldn't consider doing. I don't know what that means…but I hope they're right." Esme took my hand and I shook with anger at what the Volturi had manipulated my family into doing.

"You can't possibly be out there in front of everyone else! It would be insanity if I were doing it and I can actually hurt them thanks to my weird power. I won't let anyone hurt you! Why can't the shape shifter pretend to be me while you stay back with the family?" I let out a tortured whisper. "At least they're Volturi!"

"Carlisle would fight like a demon for me, Aro knows that very well. Edward would fight just as monstrously for you." Esme said quietly. "The Volturi don't believe that the family will protect his Volturi member as valiantly as we would protect one of our own. He says the performance will be more real if it is one of us in real danger."

"To hell with him and his real danger, because I'm not going to let you do this." I spoke with conviction.

My mother took my hand. "You MUST do this. If we don't comply with every part of Aro's plan your life may be forfeit. Carlisle didn't tell the family…but Aro considers you a considerable threat. He thinks you are too powerful, given time and practice we could use you against him."

"Why would they think I wanted to…" I interrupted.

Esme continued before I could, "Regardless, he said that he would consider any manipulations on our part as a declaration of war. You must not deviate from any part of the plan. I can't imagine the pain we would suffer if you were to be killed and taken from us again. Edward would never survive it."

"Esme…" I couldn't help the sorrow in my voice. "If anything happens to you I'll be the one at fault. I can't stand the thought of you being hurt."

"Carlisle will fight for me. He isn't going to let anything happen, dear one." Esme's embrace was as strong as the conviction I could hear in her voice. "What are you going to be doing while we are playing possum in the field?"

The question was a fair one, but I was starting to see that they were only telling some people part of the plan so that they couldn't be undermined. Trusting no one right now might be my only safe bet. It was going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done. I lied…to Esme… "I'll be with the brothers…right behind you."

"I thought that might be the case. Please stay safe Bella. Edward needs you, and we need you too. My special daughter!" Esme kissed my forehead and I watched her watching Edward talk to Jasper.

"I gave Edward's keys to the Volvo to Alice." I supplied as helpfully as possible. She spared me a tender look and jumped from the car going over to Carlisle's BMW I assumed to inform him that I had been briefed. Edward sat in the car not long afterward.

"I'm back my darling wife. Did you miss me?" My Edward's voice was like a balm to my raw nerves.

I had to make myself seem as natural as possible. "Yes, although as you probably noticed I'm always hanging out with someone."

"Who were you talking to? I didn't see." My husband's voice was filled with confused curiosity and once again I was compelled to lie.

"Felix." I answered immediately. I could inform him on general knowledge as long as I didn't compromise the plan, so I continued. "He was trying to get me up to date on everything that's going on. He says that we're going to stand in the middle of the field and play bait. It makes me nervous. They want me to stand close enough to use my power, so they've decided to have Emmett and Felix stand with me up front. For some reason they think it will intimidate them to see me alive. I think it sounds really stupid." I did think it was insanity, and dangerous for my caring vampire mother.

"There is no way you are standing away from me." Edward put his hand over my own as he spoke and I concentrated on shifting the vehicle while I stayed focused on the world around me. It was devilishly hard. He traced absent circles on my flesh while he spoke, "I've made my own promises…but I won't have you away from me."

I didn't like the idea of conning Edward, but I had to get him to watch over Esme. "So have I, Love…and I will do this because I promised I would. If it starts to go out of control I can count on you right? Just because you're behind me doesn't mean you can't protect me. In fact I expect you to."

"Thank you for understanding that I want to feel needed. I know you can take care of yourself…but I'm glad you still desire me to be there." My husband's words and smile were almost my undoing. The fire in his eyes set my senses reeling. He still wanted me at that moment physically, loved me with all of his heart. He loved and wanted me and I was lying to him.

"Every day until the very end." I spoke quietly, but with a smile that I hoped would take the place of my fumbled attempt at romance.

I parked the Aston where my beat up old Ford used to sit, it was an extreme difference in vehicles. The wolves, my new wards, were waiting for us as men standing around on Charlie's porch. Jacob spoke aloud in a joking voice that put me slightly at ease. "I'm really glad there's nobody around right now…because it would be really hard to explain why there are a bunch of half naked people standing around on the Police Chief's porch. We could always say we're putting on a bachellorette party…that wouldn't really explain Leah…that would probably be one heck of an explanation. One I wouldn't really have to come up with."

I couldn't help but give Jacob a huge grin. I would have been blushing scarlet if I'd still been Bella the human, but Bella the vampire was still embarrassed even without my telltale blush. Now however, it would be harder to tell…it was a good aspect of my vampirism that I would enjoy.

Unfortunately, unlike me, Edward was edgy and didn't appreciate Jake's attempt at humor because when he responded back it was clipped and rude. "I'm glad to see you're taking this fight well. We really should be focusing on the battle. Not making up excuses for why you're not fully dressed."

"Edward be nice." I begged him with a bit of an edge. "Thank you for helping us. I assume you heard everything about what they want." If they were going to be helping me I needed them on my side.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to know who's who? What are we going to do to keep from accidentally killing the wrong bloodsuckers?" Jacob asked. I too had been wondering how they were going to handle the little identification problem, well, up until I found out they had been volunteered to die with me.

"We'll do everything in our power to keep the Volturi from hurting your pack. Jasper will fill you in on every aspect of the plan and hopefully we'll be able to keep anyone from getting hurt. In the end…if things become too hard…I expect you all to leave." Carlisle spoke without any real emotion, but I could tell he was very focused. Obviously, now that I knew his wife was literally being dangled like a worm on a hook wearing my face, his tense nature meant more to me.

"Do you think we're going to bail on you?" One of the wolf boys asked. He seemed very familiar, although I couldn't remember his name at the moment.

"Not at all, we just want to protect you as well as we can. This is a fight between the Volturi and its turncoat warriors. The only reason we are fighting is for Bella's freedom from Aro. You don't need to needlessly die..." Carlisle's voice was no longer passive and I could hear the undercurrent of fear. Was there a chance that he would break under the strain of this and give Esme away? What if the real Volturi attacked her to keep the secret? I was shivering with the confusion and pain of it.

"I think now might be a good time to start explaining the battle plan." Jasper interrupted my father looking at us both intently. I assume that Carlisle was actually, like me, giving off waves of fear and I felt a calming sensation take over. I gave a gracious nod to my brother, who had given me the small respite from my overwhelmed feelings.

"We're going to help you, that's already been decided." The head of the wolf pack spoke with such conviction and trust in his voice. I was looking deeply into the eyes of my Jacob. This was the way Jacob was supposed to be.

"Thank you. Jasper…" Carlisle motioned to Alice's husband who walked forward to begin the explanation of the battle plan and how they should fight these more seasoned warriors.

Now was the moment I would enact my own piece of mind. "Edward…" He looked up and took my offered hand as we walked to the side of the house away from prying eyes and listening ears. "I want you to do me a favor. From this moment forward…I need you to not touch me. I can't concentrate as easily when you're touching me…so I need you to kiss me. Please…"

I needed this last contact, and yet more lies spilled from my lips. His touch made me calm and gave me focus. Hopefully he didn't know that my words were false, but I had a feeling he would be skeptical. If I were to never see him again I wanted this to be his last memory of me. Also, I wanted to ensure that Esme wouldn't have to deal awkwardly with my husband's advances. Not to mention the fact that he would probably know it wasn't me. Esme and I probably didn't kiss the same way, and I didn't want Edward to have to know. I could only imagine how Carlisle would feel about that.

My kiss was everything that I hoped it would be. I chanted the words "I love you," in my head over and over again. I promised him I would come back quickly. I hoped that wasn't giving too much away. I couldn't help but notice that it had too much of the edge I was hoping to avoid. I didn't want him to guess what was going on here...He pushed me away and stared deeply into my eyes as if he could divine the truth there.

Edward's voice was raw with hurt. "Why are you saying goodbye?"

"Don't be silly. I'll never say goodbye again." I'd failed to keep him from guessing...this was all my fault. I tried for convincing and ended up crashing and burning.

"Tell me the truth. Tell me you aren't leaving." My love shook my shoulders and demanded with a desperate timber to his voice.

"I…Edward. Why would I leave?" I argued back as I tried to imagine what I could do to make all of this better. Certainly I could fool him with semantics?

"That isn't what I said Bella. Tell me." He demanded. Obviously he was too smart for semantics. I decided to even the playing field by attempting to dazzle him. It wasn't working so I decided to kiss him until he became stupid. I caressed his lips with my own and darted my tongue in and out of his panting mouth. My fingers caressed his sides and I wanted nothing more than to have him take me right here against the wall of my father's side yard. It seemed like my plan was backfiring…I was kissing him until I became stupid…because I was having a hard time focusing. The way he was touching me left me thoughtless.

I summoned up my senses, took a deep breath, and continued. I didn't really have to lie, I could just play with my words. "I'm not going to leave you," Which was true…because I wouldn't leave him. I was just going to wander off for a bit on a fatally dangerous errand. Knowing that however, I amended the statement so that he couldn't get overly mad at me if we met in heaven or he figured everything out before hand. "Not on purpose. Not if I have a choice."

I paused for only a second before I continued, afraid that he would call my bluff and stop me. "Good…Now…I believe that I have a lot of work ahead of me. I have a bunch of wolves to bring to the yard and I assume they've given you something to do because you looked stressed out after your little chat. How about I meet you there and you keep the family together." I suggested. This manipulation thing was either getting easier for me or I was in shock and he couldn't recognize any of my intentions because I had gone insane.

His voice and its obvious upset made me very sad. "You don't want me to come with you?" Unfortunately, I couldn't just blurt out everything like I wanted to…because if I did I would already be listening to the deep rumbling of his most ferocious growls. He would call me absolutely absurd, or pledge to not let anything happen to me. This wasn't a fairytale though…it was real life…and I was horrified to find myself stuck doing what the Volturi wanted if I ever wanted to stay here and "live happily ever after." I was never going to be like Cinderella, I was going to have to save myself.

"You know it isn't that, I just want to give Alice and Jasper time to play with Jane. Please. Please. Be careful. I will be there before you know it. I promise." That…was something I shouldn't have done. Why would I promise him that I would return? There was no way for me to know I would survive my little meeting! I could already see the frown etched on my husband's face.

Edward turned from me and walked away. My heart felt like it was tearing itself out of my body. His last glance…a frown? No! My silent heart felt a crushing weight of pain. Just as he was beginning to disappear around the corner I heard a sound behind me and a woman was walking toward me out of the darkness. The closer she came the more I could see that her features were changing before my eyes. By the time she was neck and neck with me…she was me. I addressed the creature with me firmly, "Don't touch him. If I come back from this, and I find out you touched him I swear I'll tear you into tiny pieces and feed you to the pack."

"Sure…" The imitation me said with a haughty smile. "I promise not to initiate anything! Of course if he makes the decision to do things with me I can't stop him." She….who was me…continued.

"See…that's the funny part. I just told him not to touch me anymore today." I remarked with a frown twisting my mouth. "I expect him to come back just like I left him, and before you think you can get away with it…He'll know!" I demanded. "He's only ever kissed me like that."

The unnamed creature laughed. "Right…they all say that. I've only been with you…you're my only. I've never been found out before though, so that gives you an idea about how many of them were right." I wasn't sure if the monster was enjoying taunting me or was a sexual predator because suddenly I was face to face with Edward. "Bella…I love you." "His" eyes were searing my soul and I was very tempted to fall into them, but I knew it wasn't him. I knew my love was walking away from me right now his frown marring his perfect features.

"You're really convincing, but I'd rather tongue a snake." I hissed into "it's" face. "Don't touch him. It's the only warning I'm going to give." I supplied with conviction. "Now get the family away from here and send the pack to me."

The shape shifter turned back into me and ran, presumably, after where Edward had gone. "Edward! I changed my mind. I think I'll go with you after all." I turned toward the house and let my forehead fall against the aluminum siding and listening to the lies fall effortlessly from the Volturi that had so easily taken my place. Light rain crashed against my head and dripped down my face and with my heightened senses I felt each and every drop touching my skin. I wondered what a good lashing rain felt like. Was it soul searing? "Jacob…wait here for five more minutes and then wait in the woods by the Cullen's driveway. I'll meet you there."

I wanted to bash my head against the building…but someone would hear that. I didn't want to go on this mission. I didn't want to die so far away from Edward and his family and never let them know. How would the shifter have time to make the switch between Esme and me so that Esme could take my place? Surely Edward would notice that? I heard Edward speaking, and then Alice, and then they began to set off. I watched them leave me and I chanced to see myself and Edward running back in the direction of the ruined house…not touching. Thank GOD!

I heard a rumbling growl behind me and I swung about ready to defend myself when I stared right into the eyes of the russet Jacob wolf. Who seemed rather chuffed besides to have snuck up on me. "Thanks Jake…I'll enjoy making that up to you later!" He became human and I slapped my hands over my eyes to keep from seeing him naked. He nudged me when his pants were on and I glared at him at I took in his mostly naked form. He was still a little beautiful.

"I knew that wasn't you! Who just went with them?" Jacob's eyes were earnest…like he understood that we would be going somewhere else. "Are we ever going to make it to that field…or are you going someplace else?" His eyes questioned me.

"Okay, the truth is that the reason that Aro left you as my responsibility is that we're not going to meet with them in the field. We're probably going to be killed miles away from there if you go with me." I replied as the worry finally crashed over me.

"I'm sorry Jake. I'm not going to make you do this. I don't know if I'm going to live, but I'm not going to let someone else hurt you or the pack." I would have been sobbing had I the inhuman talent for it on my own. Jacob held me as the rest of the pack…all wolves…gathered around. One of the brown wolves scrunched his nose against the distaste of smelling me and nuzzled his head into my side as if to comfort me.

I expected them to smell like rotting garbage or something…but they all just smelled like the forest to me, different aspects of the woods. Cedar, pine, mushrooms, and moss filled my nose. Nothing too unusual, I wondered if I was different for the rest of my family, and then nearly rolled my eyes at my abstraction because YES I was different. You would think I'd gotten it through my head by now.

"Please tell me that you can at least hear other tribes of wolves in your head so that I know where to start?" I ventured.

"I doubt it. We hear our brothers and sisters…but I don't think we'll hear other packs. Leah…do you hear any unusual voices?" The smallish grey wolf shook her head. Great…I would have to find them by scent? I considered what my next move should be.

"Well…I have to find a vampire. I think she has black hair and "olive" skin." I drew air quotes as I said this. "You know…olive skin if it were all bleached out white."

"Is this going to be a long thought?" Jacob asked me with a smile. "You know there are hundreds of vamps in the area right? It's going to be really hard to locate one of them if we don't even have their scent to begin with. What was the question about a second tribe of wolves about?"

"This vampire…her name is Lillith…travels with a pack of albino wolves, or one albino wolf? I'm not sure." I admitted my confusion. "To be honest I don't know where to start looking, or what I'm going to do once we meet her. I'm supposed to tell her my life story, and she's supposed to help the Volturi. I guess she's really powerful, because Aro said she could kill all of us."

"Why didn't your family get told about this?" The werewolf leader questioned me. "Why is this a secret?"

"There is a very good chance that I might die trying to convince Lillith of our innocence. I guess they don't want to have to deal with the rest of the Cullen family on top of the other stuff." I chanced the guess…but I wasn't wholly sure myself. "Unless it's just because they don't trust anyone right now. Maybe they are trying to reach Lillith first?"

"You keep saying "I" as if you were going alone. You can't make us not go, so now that it's decided that we're going with you, let's all get on the job." Jacob ruffled my hair and immediately wrinkled his nose. "You stink…did you know that?"

I glared at him. "I don't think you smell! Thank you very much!"

"That's because I'm perfect." My friend gave me a dopey grin and buffed his nails against his chest. "Well, If we're going to do this we'd better get started. Now that you're all stone-like Edward can't get mad at me if you watch this!"

"Wha…?" I asked before falling completely speechless.

Watch I did. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever witnessed…and I had clawed my own flesh off of my body for a few days only to watch it regenerate. I watched as Jacob closed his eyes and in rapt fascination, I observed as his form melted and changed right in front of my eyes. Skin rippled, ruddy fur grew over his bronze skin, he kicked his pants off as he slumped forward and his hind legs changed shape creating a wide haunch and squelching pops alerted me to the changes in his hips and pelvis. His arms rolled forward and more internal changes took place to make his back and front legs the same length. His face elongated and his eyes slid further out his ears moving up as his mouth grew long and pointed. Teeth grew sharp and finally Jacob's tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"That was…umm…kinda' gross to hear, but otherwise neat. Thanks." I said with a lame smile.

The Jacob wolf gave a growling laugh and licked me…the right side of my face was covered in slobber from chin to hairline and I sensed that some of that hair was sticking together and standing at a strange angle from the way the rest of the wolves were looking at me.

"Ewwwww! God! Jake! That's disgusting!" His barklike laugh once again filled the space and the other wolves made small laughing growls accompanied by looks of disgust. Jacob smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth opening and closing his jowls like a little kid trying brussel-sprouts for the first time and not being particularly enthused by the taste. I rolled my eyes to show my annoyance and his smile was huge and intimidating with all of his teeth. It caused an instinctual reaction in me that wanted very badly to flee or fight, but I ignored it as best as I could.

"I guess we should get going then…" I started to walk toward the woods behind Charlie's house but Jacob cut me off and lowered down with an expectant look on his face. He stared pointedly at me for a second and motioned to his back with his snout. I felt my eyebrows shoot into my hairline. My next words were monotone and said dripping with sarcasm. "You've got to be kidding me."

EPOV:

Bella had surprised me when she changed her mind about coming with us only seconds after telling me she was coming alone. She absently began to reach out for me and I stopped her hand by taking a step backward and putting my own back and away. "Don't tell me that you've changed your mind about that as well, and after such a passionate entreaty. I won't put you in jeopardy, so please know that I wish I could touch you as much as you wish to touch me. Is everyone ready?" Something in the way Bella looked at me caused me concern, but it was probably frustration.

An unknown female voice intoned in my head, "Boy Scout…" Probably one of the wolves, but they seemed to be headed off in the other direction after being addressed by Bella. I was worried about her being in charge of them.

My question was met with nods and small noises of agreement. Carlisle looked at Esme as she looked back at him, and I wondered if they were as worried as they looked. I had to wonder because they were thinking about absolutely nothing. Jasper seemed to be looking at the two of them with concern, and I began to approach them to ask my father what was wrong. He looked up at me and instantly let go of Esme and walked toward me as well.

Carlisle took my hand and looked into my eyes. _'Anything…I would do anything for you and I hope you know that.' _The comment in his mind almost confused and worried me, but he continued soon after. _'We want everyone to be safe. After this is over we can all go back to living peacefully. I have always wished, for you especially Edward, to live happily. There was however always a part of you that was incomplete. No matter what happens today, I want you to know that I have loved you as a father to the best of my ability. That I have wanted only what was best for you, and I believe that Bella is the root of your life, just as Esme is mine. God gave us the gift of our wives long after we were born so that we would be ready for them…they are beyond us both. Just imagine what a piece of work I must be that I was alone so much longer than you!' _ We both snickered at that and I looked down and calmed my laugh before looking up again. When I did Carlisle too had a look of concentration on his face.

He continued in his thoughts, _'I know that our lives were meant to be intertwined…mine and Esme's. You too have been given a gift, a special and life giving gift. It is a wonder to me that they were never revealed before we were ready to receive them into our lives, probably because we were too immature to understand what a reward they were. I was given purpose when I found medicine, but when I was given Esme I was given life. You are my first companion, and for that I will always probably find myself giving in to you even when you make ridiculous requests…' _When Carlisle thought this he looked pointedly at Bella and then back at me.

'_There was a time I feared that you would get your way…" _his head shook as he closed his eyes and thought of my lonely despair when we were living up north after I had told Bella I didn't love her. _"I was afraid that you would actually leave your heart behind. I could only think of how brave, unselfish, and caring you were. Of course there was always the added little matter of how incredibly stupid you were being. _

Carlisle's joking words gave way to more explanations, '_Brave to sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of someone else, even if it was misguided. Unselfish because you knew how much leaving her would hurt your heart and you did it with her future in mind. You showed endless caring, when you allowed us our time to miss Bel1a in our lives despite your loss being the greatest out of all of us. She was a lover to you, but you accepted that she was also our daughter…our sister. In all that time I wanted nothing more than to move back to Forks and force you to reconcile…you were so miserable. In all the time that I've known you I've never seen you look so hopeless, like you were waiting for the opportunity to die, counting the minutes…maybe even the seconds of your immortal life.' _

My father finished with a small smile, '_Stupid of course, because you would be literally cutting yourself in half in spite of yourself, and I'm glad that you found yourself back in her arms. You know that's the truth of it, but I need you to understand that anytime that someone in this family has made a sacrifice…it has been out of love. We are going to fight for you, and your happiness, as well as our own because your happiness is ours. Let's finish this and go on."_

I threw my arms around my father and felt him return the gesture. Esme made a small noise in her throat that reminded me of a small happy gasp, but I didn't look in her mind for confirmation. I didn't look at anything. My eyes were closed and I was letting myself feel the love my father had for me. His embrace, as well as my own, was surrounded by the feeling of fidelity that we had always had, and was magnified by my new hopes for the future.

We separated and I looked into his face. I felt the desire to share my thoughts with him before we left to do this and I felt the words tumble from my mouth before I could recapture them. "I never knew what a gift you were giving me when you saved me that day…but I want you to know that's how I've felt since I found Bella, I feel lucky. Even when I was faced with the horror of living without her…both times…I've never felt like I would have liked to have never known. To feel so much love, kindness, and passion, more than I ever thought I could. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I'd never experienced these feelings. My family…my wife…I must have done something right to deserve all of you. Forgive me for being so difficult for so long. I should have known that there was a purpose, I should have had more faith."

Carlisle looked at me with knowing eyes. "God has a plan for us all. Your mother, Elizabeth, knew you weren't ready to go. Looking into your face I knew it too. There was something there…something extraordinary."

"I love all of you…thank you for doing this for us. I'm so proud to be your son…your brother…your husband." I admitted looking at my family. Bella had a strained look on her face. I wanted to kiss it away, but I refrained because of what she had said by the house. "Perhaps this is what is destined. Maybe it's as you said Bella…maybe nothing gained easily is worth having. All of you are worth every bit of this."

"We need to get going if we're going to arrive in time, besides I'm sick of not seeing anything and that means getting away from the wolves." Alice said with certainty. "Let's get going!" She began to walk forward and Carlisle and Esme began to move forward as well as Jasper.

We all began to walk…a united front against the evil that was waiting for us. We weren't a part of this madness, but to ensure our future we would become so. We looked like a stalking group of animals with Carlisle walking with a determined gait followed by Esme just behind him on the right and me on his left. Bella stood to my left and Alice stood next to her. On Esme's right was Rosalie and then Emmett and Jasper.

We walked in this manner until the fierce growl escaped Emmett's throat and we all let out a small answering snarl that broke us into a run, but as always I began to break ahead. Bella was right next to me and I had to fight the urge to take her hand. This freedom…the ability to run with Bella as my equal was everything I had ever wanted. I hadn't known it at first, but now that it was my reality I felt myself literally take endless joy in it.

We ran only three minutes and were almost home when I heard a horrible screeching growl. Vicious and feminine, but one I knew very well, it was Alice. I was always surprised by how demonic she could sound when she wanted to. A monster in every aspect, and I always wondered if that was because she couldn't remember her human life at all. I was content to continue running, but at that moment Alice slammed into Bella snarling and biting. I let out a roaring yell of surprise as they fell into a spinning pile of arms, legs, and teeth.

Esme, of all people threw herself into the fray immediately. "NO!" She tore at Alice with a terrified look in her eyes, and Carlisle pulled at Esme cursing under his breath I assumed because the fight looked like it was only going to ramp up as I began to get ready to throw myself into the fray at my wife's defense. "Stop! God, Alice! STOP!" Esme howled.

"WHO ARE YOU!" She growled as I heard my Bella make a small pained whimper.

"Alice!" Jasper grabbed his wife and she hissed at him. "What the hell are you doing? That's Bella!" He looked troubled and began to drag her away as I took hold of my wife's shoulders and pulled the two away from each other. Bella wasn't struggling, but she did look angry and shocked, as well that she should.

"No!" Alice hissed. "That's not Bella, and this creature is going to betray us!"

Esme looked at Carlisle with a helpless groan and asked what everyone must want to know, "What did you see Alice?" I looked down at the Bella under my hands and knew that Alice was right…because I could hear her thoughts. I hadn't been looking to hear her because I didn't expect to, but now that I was focusing she was clear in my head.

'_Stupid little vampire seer, she needs to keep her mouth shut! Aro doesn't suspect me now, and all I have to do to have their entire family killed is tell him that they're plotting against him. I can walk away from all of this with nothing but a scratch. Although I have to hand it to the little bitch…I've never been found out before.'_ The thoughts going through her mind were mutinous and sounded nothing like my Bella. Alice was right!

"She's going to tell Aro that we've been plotting against him and that we weren't going to go through with his plan. He is going to have us all killed!" Alice hissed as she broke free from Jasper and slammed back into the shape shifter under me. I found myself backing away…horrified. I didn't want to touch the creature that had taken my wife's face.

"How long?" I gasped in confusion. I knew I had made love to Bella, that was no shape shifter…no stand-in. I knew that we had talked in the car. That had to have been her. How could it not? The second that I had turned my back on her she had been swapped out? It wasn't possible!

"Edward…I'm sorry." Esme looked at me with a shocked look on her face. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way. They just switched places at the house. We," and here she pointed to the hissing mess that was Alice and the shape shifter, "were supposed to switch places at the battle. I was going to pretend to be Bella…and this creature was going to pretend to be me." I was relieved and fearful at the same time. Relieved that I had been right to think I knew my wife well enough to know I was making love to her…even if I had never done so before. Just…thank God…

"Who was going to save you!" I railed against my mother and she looked away while Carlisle pulled her to his chest.

"This is madness!" Rosalie screamed. "I'm not even sure what's going on! Emmett! What's going on?"

"Where is Bella?" Emmett asked with anger shaking his voice and advancing on the creature that was still fighting with Alice. He picked her up by the throat and shook her. I could hardly stand to watch him hurt the monster wearing my Bella's face. "Where!?" He snarled and Carlisle put a hand on him to steady his anger.

"Bella is safe. She's going to be with Aro, Caius, and Marcus." He said with certainty.

"No…she's…not…" The shape shifter had a wicked smile on her face that looked completely out of place on my love's face.

"Yes…Yes, she is. Bella told me herself!" Esme defended as I stood looking between them with anger flaring in me.

Jasper walked forward and took my shoulder immediately making me more calm which was not what I wanted at all. "Not now!" I snarled.

Emmett shook the shape shifter and she spoke again, "She…lied…"

Carlisle looked back at me and admitted, _'I'm sure she's supposed to be with the brothers. I would never have let my daughter walk into danger alone! Even the plan we have in place would have been too dangerous. I would never have even agreed to that. You have to believe me Edward!'_

I did believe him. However, I was still furious. My words were clipped and filled with that rage. "What the hell is going on here?"

Alice began to speak rapidly. "This monster is one of Jane's little stooges. She planned on ruining the plan that Marcus put in place…but she probably doesn't know where Bella is because I'm pretty sure the Volturi aren't giving any information away to any one person. She's trying to destroy all of us."

"Where is my daughter?" Esme looked from the shape shifter to Carlisle.

I looked at my father with a hollow pain in my voice, "Where is my wife?"

"I don't know Edward…Esme…" He looked down. "I truly believed that she was going to be safe."

Jasper looked malevolently at the woman dangling from Emmett's hand. "You know something though. Don't you?"

"Even if I knew something it doesn't matter. If I don't show up with all of you…Your little baby vampire is going to die anyway." She spat venom directly in Jasper's face.

"What do you mean?" I pushed Jasper out of the way and hissed into her ear.

"Ask your "family!" The creature began to try to squirm out of Emmett's grasp, and her tone when she said family was condescending.

"Carlisle?" I heard the tone of my voice. It was warning and begging all at the same time. The look he gave me in return was full of compassion and a little bit of that fear that I had seen all along…but now I knew what it was. We were staring our fate in the face, and it was spitting on us.

Carlisle began to talk very quickly, "These were my concessions to keep Bella in our family. We were to put Esme at the front wearing Bella's form. While Jane and Alec were confused we would let you interrogate them. I was going to do my very best to protect Esme and the shape shifter here was going to do…whatever it is that she was bidden. However now I see that she would have betrayed all of us. Bella was supposed to remain with Aro, Marcus, and Caius. If we betrayed them in any way…Bella's life would be forfeit. I only agreed because I knew that we would fight together without question."

I felt the world lurch at a horrible tilt and wondered if this is what it was like to be nauseous. It had been so long since I'd felt that way that I couldn't remember exactly, but I was pretty sure it was sickness in my nonfunctional stomach.

Emmett shook the girl by the throat and she croaked out, "They lied to you!" Emmett tightened his grasp and she choked out words around his hand. "She…was sent…to find something…someone. Suicide mission…"

I felt myself quake with anger. "WHAT?"

"Can you see her Alice?" Rosalie asked with a terrified lilt to her voice. "What have they done with Bella?"

"She's got to be with the wolves Rosalie…I can't see her future." She whimpered as she leaned on Jasper's shoulder. "She must be with them…Unless…"

"Unless she's already dead," I muttered darkly.

"NO!" Esme cried. "She can't be gone. I…I thought we were protecting her!"

Carlisle embraced his wife…my mother and looked at me with pain evident in his eyes. His voice came to me speaking directly, "Edward…we must continue on. If she isn't in danger now…she will be when we don't arrive. I don't know anything about this mission she's talking about, but what I do know is that I have sworn to do my part to keep her safe from the Volturi. If we can make her safe by arriving and explaining what's happened…"

Alice shook her head, "If we go now…like this…we'll all die."

"Dear God." Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose and began to pace.

"If you guys had just told all of us what was going on we could have planed for this!" Jasper shook his head and growled. "Alice…"

My pixie sister looked at him with a pained expression. "I'm not leaving Jasper. I'll do anything for you…but this isn't the time to ask me for this."

"I'll go alone." I said with pained certainty. "You'll all go on without me. Leave this place and hide. I'm going to that field with this creature, and I'll confront Aro, Caius, and Marcus."

"No!" Carlisle shook his head and snarled. "I won't let you be harmed for my mistakes!"

"I AM YOUR MISTAKE!" I roared back. Esme gasped.

"No…you aren't!" Carlisle left Esme's side and gripped my shoulders tightly as he spoke. "You said it yourself…this is destined! Bella is out there somewhere Edward. I believe it. She's safe and she loves you. You must believe that! We aren't going to die, and you're going to be together. I won't let this end any other way. We've got to think about this in a new and more logical way. We have to come up with something that will work…" He clutched my shoulders harder and I growled my exasperation. "Have faith Edward."

I nodded my head and agreed. "You're right. I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I'm frustrated. Please forgive me."

"God…you're all such…Hallmark Cards…" The woman still looked like Bella, but the vitriol that she espoused was hardly something I would expect from my wife.

"I'll give you a Hallmark moment you bitch!" Alice hissed. All of us waited to see if Alice would attack, but she waited a moment and then looked at us with a slight smile. "Actually…you're going to provide me with an absolute holliday!"

"Have you come up with a solution to our problem Alice?" Jasper questioned his wife with a small smile, probably with the emotion that she was exuding.

"Our little friend here is going to go with us to the house. Everything is going to continue as planned. There's no reason to change the status quo. If we arrive and pretend that everything is normal Jasper and I will get to go on recon and we can search for Bella instead of messing with the army. We still have thirty minutes. Since we know where they are already, we don't have to actually play with them…we just wanted to. Now, we have the alibi we need to be gone and we won't have to do anything different." Alice bounced as she looked at Jasper.

"No…I have to look for Bella." I growled and glared at the creature that wasn't my wife. "If she's in danger, I can't let her be alone. I promised her forever."

"Edward is right. This can't happen the way they set it up Alice. Edward is going to be a wreck, Esme can't possibly be at the spearhead of an attack…Bella might be able to take the other side's power away. Maybe that would have been a legitimate stand, however, Esme doesn't have Bella's ability. It would be a horrible mistake to leave her exposed like that. I'm frankly stunned that you would allow that Carlisle." Jasper chided slightly.

"I wasn't…I was going to demand the shape shifter use me." He admitted and Esme growled.

"You've all been a bunch of ridiculous children!" Rosalie admonished us. "Carlisle, this family would be nothing without you. Esme, you're insane if you thought that you could protect yourself against that kind of onslaught. The two of you combined were mentally challenged if you thought that Alice wouldn't see this…"

"Come on Rose…" Emmett tried to console his wife with little effect.

Emmett winced as his wife continued. "You had to have known that Alice would see this! Edward…come out with it. What nut-so plan have the Volturi volunteered you for? Everything needs to come out on the table. This cloak and dagger crap doesn't work in this family. It's a waste of time to try to keep us out of the loop. Each one of you has a lot to answer for. Bella got away from us! Clumsy newborn Bella, we should all be ashamed of ourselves!"

Jasper called attention to himself by grunting. "Let's all start one by one and quickly tell what we know. Maybe we can spin it together if we know everything. I'll start. I'm supposed to go with Alice, probably because I would sense all of the tension and call attention to it which may have ruined the plan. When I got back I was to stand with all of you at the front of the Volturi to commence the battle. I sensed unusual amounts of distraction and fear from Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Bella."

"You knew she was upset." I accused.

"Yes, I knew, but she wouldn't tell me anything and I thought a majority of the problem was that she had never been under this kind of stress before. I never imagined what it might have meant. Her fear did amp up after speaking with the Volturi, and she told me that she wasn't at liberty to speak to me about it. That's all I know." Jasper finished with a look of apology which I accepted with a nod.

Carlisle spoke next. "I spoke with the Volturi about the situation with Jane. You all know that she's trying desperately to destroy the peace, but we are dealing with bigger things. It may be that we are dealing with the genocide of our own kind. On top of that the Volturi are worried that Bella is capable of hurting them unless she is under their supervision. I wouldn't allow it, but I was in no condition to be making demands. Aro is after all her sire, and I couldn't defy him in this because he was worried that I would let her explore the options he didn't want to give her."

"Like freedom." I bit out.

"Actually," Carlisle snarled the next words, "they were originally considering disposing of her when her power surfaced. Anyone who could mimic and remove their abilities was a threat, and since she arrived with Jane and Alec they considered the idea that she was a spy." I roared in fury and Alice, to my surprise joined me while jumping forward to speak.

"Ridiculous!" Alice hissed. "What, they want us to believe that they think that as a human she approached them drugged and hoping they wouldn't kill her, but make her a vampire instead? What are the chances of that? What a crock of sh…"

"Sweetheart…let your father speak please." Jasper interrupted her swearing.

"Thank you son," Carlisle continued. "Their fears were further exacerbated by Bella's connection with the wolves. After all…what kind of human hangs out with vampires and werewolves? What kind of vampire admits to befriending wolves? She had too many unlikely coincidences, and of course they are confused by our family. We have too many potentially damaging vampires in our coven. They don't like our numbers and our dedication to each other…which Bella was apparently only too happy to talk about to Felix and Heidi."

"She was alone and confused…you can't blame her for that!" I retorted.

Carlisle put up his hand. "I don't son. It obviously wasn't her fault. She couldn't have known how devious they are." His words weren't comforting. "When Aro outlined his plan I was furious and worried. We don't have the strength of numbers to fight against them, but I wasn't about to allow them to take Bella or you from us. When that became obvious they laid down a plan that would allow for everyone to walk away happy. That was how we ended up here and now. Everything I said earlier is accurate. Esme?"

My mother walked forward. "I spoke with Bella before we left to move the cars. She seemed extremely agitated. I had no reason to believe she lied to me about being with the Volturi, but looking back on it she probably had and I was too wrapped up in my worry for the family to focus properly. I'm so sorry Edward."

"No, mother…it's not your fault either. You just did what you could for her." I admitted.

Emmett spoke up. "I really don't know anything except that I was going to be defending Bella while she attempted to drain the other army. I was worried that all of that power was going to hurt her so I was resigned to do my best."

"I don't know squat." Rosalie complained. "NOTHING!"

"Don't worry Rose…if it makes you feel better I've been seeing a lot of nothing all day." Alice consoled her sister. "I was meant to find the other faction of the Volturi and bring them to the fight. I haven't had any clear visions because of the wolves. I was meant to meet you back at the field and join you with anti-Bella here." My pixie sister growled at the captive that had stayed strangely silent through all of this. Her eyes seemed glued to a point beyond our circle, but I had to ignore her for now. "I guess the Volturi believed that I wouldn't know the difference because technically the wolves should cloud my vision. Edward?"

"Bella has been uncomfortable with this fight since the beginning. I don't know if she knew she had an uncertain future from the start or if it was only after we came back this evening that she's been so scared. I did notice a difference, but I wasn't sure how to approach it. Bella assured me that everything was fine. She lied to me." I bit out while glaring at the false Bella, "so that you're half of the plan would work. I don't know where she is, or what she's doing."

"I'm sure she only did it to protect us. I was given a task by the Volturi, which you already seem to know. I am supposed to find a way for them to admit what they're up to. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard too. I doubt very highly that they are actually concerned with Jane and Alec's motivations. I can't think of anything else. I'm sorry."

"Didn't she say anything unusual at all to you?" Alice prompted. "We need to figure out where she might be headed…or what the Volturi had her do. She couldn't have been completely ignorant the whole time, could she? Think Edward…did she ask you anything unusual or confusing?"

Only one thing sprang to mind…but it couldn't possibly be related. Of course one never knew. "She asked me if I knew who Lillith was."

"I'm sorry?" Carlisle asked as if he needed me to repeat for clarification.

"Lillith. She asked me if I knew who the biblical character was and I said yes. She didn't go any further into it. Do you know something Carlisle?" I asked as my father turned introspective. Jasper had literally jumped at the name and shivered and I looked askance at him but Carlisle spoke before I could ask.

"Lillith and Cain created the city of Enoch with their son of the same name. Enoch was extremely devout to God, but the rest of the people were not. It was wiped out, and later rebuilt." Carlisle answered.

"What about the first ones?" Jasper asked with a glare. "What about the city on the opposite bank…the city of Nod?"

"The vampire city of Nod, I don't believe in that particular myth." Carlisle stated.

"Ask any Southern vampire and they'll tell you that Nod is a real place." Jasper argued. "Lillith and Cain are supposed to leave Nod and wipe out the sinners of our kind. When the Volturi came down the first time into Texas we honestly thought that Nod was upon us. That was until they named themselves as the Volturi. Most were just happy that they hadn't brought down the fist of God. Being in the South you'll find most are still God fearing, even if they don't really believe in religion."

"Since when are Lillith and Cain vampires," I asked with confusion.

"They aren't just vampires…they're the first vampires." Jasper contested.

"It's not proven. It's folklore." Carlisle argued back. "God supposedly cursed Lillith for her relationship with Satan and turned her into a vampire…or Satan did. The story varies. Either way…I've never seen evidence of this city, and you would think the world would be aware of such a thing. A city of vampires? Voltera is the closest you will ever come to such a thing. How would they even sustain themselves?"

"It's really easy to do." A voice from behind us spoke. "I have a really big herd of sheep."


	18. Relevant Revelations

**AN: I want to take this moment to thank EVERYONE who has been holding me up and helping me through this rough period. Every person that's sent me a PM asking about my health, and my family; every individual that left a review and told me they enjoyed my story. I can't tell you how much that's meant to me. I recently found out that I was nominated for a Denali Award for "Escaping Sol" and I couldn't help but be astounded that people were enjoying this story that much!**

**There is a link on my Profile/Bio page where you can click to vote for this story on the Twilight Awards website. Show your support by voting; Escaping Sol is nominated for Best Original Character and Best Vampire Ability, as well as a couple of other categories... check it out, please. Conversations with Emmett is also nominated for Bet Comedy. **

**On a personal note I'm moving my family into our new home (our first time as homeowners) and I've been very busy. Between that and seeing my grandfather at the hospital I've had very little free time. I appreciate everyone being so understanding of my current status and being so helpful and insightful when it comes to helping my children through this stressful time. Some of you have had such words of wisdom and encouragement that it has bolstered me from the inside out!**

**I don't own Twilight, but I'm pleased that Stephanie has allowed us thus far to borrow and give back her characters. I love all of you more than I can say for your support, now, on with what you REALLY want.**

* * *

**_Escaping Sol_ by Ranma 15177  
**

**Chapter 18:**_** Relevant Revelations**_

**Bella POV:**

I looked back and forth between the grey wolf, Leah, who was pushing me with her nose and whining in what I thought might be a condescending voice, and Jacob. They couldn't possibly expect me to ride my best friend like a big wolfy horse. However from the annoyed look on everyone's faces that was exactly what they expected.

"Look…I've never been good at doing things like…walking in a straight line. My mom had me ride once. Hey! My mom took me riding!" I looked at Leah with the excitement I felt and she looked at me with a commiserating gaze. "Well, either way, from what I remember it ended badly!"

Jacob snarled and bit my arm. I screamed until I realized that his teeth didn't even scratch my skin.

"Oh…right. My bad. I'm not used to being invulnerable." Jacob's brow cocked at an incredulous angle. "It's new." I complained. Seconds later I realized what happened and I poked Jacob in the ribs. "Don't ever bite me again!"

Jacob had the sense to look at me with repentant eyes and I climbed slowly onto his back. The world was definitely at a new angle. I hardly trusted vehicles, and now I was on the back of what was supposed to be my mortal enemy. There was definitely something horribly wrong here.

The pack started to fall in behind Jacob and every once in a while I heard a snarl or a yip that seemed to be in response to something that must have been communicated through the pack collective mind. I wished that I had Edward's ability, but I was too far away from him to use it, and I didn't want to. I wanted to keep a grip on my humanity, I wanted to keep my power to myself.

I felt the shift of muscles and Jacob literally sprang forward causing me to grip tightly to his fur and let out a small squeal of panic which of course led to a bark-like laugh from the wolves around me and the one under me. The back yard fell away quickly, and I felt the fear creep up on me. This was my story now…my journey…and I hoped that I would see my family again soon, that Lillith whoever she was, wouldn't take my life before I could explain myself.

We were racing through the woods, I could hear the breath huffing out of the wolves around me, and I could hear Jacob's heart pounding though his veins. Suddenly a group of four sprinted off toward the left while we continued forward. Obviously we were going to be splitting up, and I worried that with only four to a group any one of them might be overwhelmed. I didn't want anyone's blood on my hands.

A few seconds later another group broke off and there was a small growling bark from Jacob. He must have wished one of his friends luck because it was followed seconds later by a piercing howl that made the red wolf chuckle. I couldn't understand their language, but I thought it was odd that I could always seem to grasp what the moment inferred, and then I realized that despite the fact that they were wolves, and very big ones at that, their mannerisms were very human. Each one of them was still the person that their change belied.

The change for the wolves was a natural and mystical thing. It was nothing at all like the painful life ending fire that I had experienced when becoming a vampire. My change was much more permanent, my alterations which were very much everlasting, would never yield itself to humanity. If the wolves gained strength of mind they could end their connection to the pack, one day Jacob could be just as human as Charlie. Strangely though, I still would have risked my change had it been at Edward's hand even knowing what I knew now. Even knowing the insatiable hunger, and what it meant to feel the flames of hell, I would be at Edward's side regardless. I wondered if that made me inflexible, romantic, or stupid; maybe all of the above.

I concentrated again on the pack, their cooperative motions and the way they seemed to run effortlessly though the woods fascinated me. They were agile and quick, their collective minds aiding them in their flight thought the green undergrowth of the old forest around us. I wondered if this is what it looked like back when the world was new…when the Quileutes were first able to shed their bodies and become spirit warriors. I wondered if the wolves could still do that now, or if that was just part of their stories. I wished I could ask Jacob, but he wasn't in any condition to answer me.

I took that moment to concentrate on the wolf beneath me. I could feel every movement, every breath, every heart beat, every small twitch of muscle and jarring slam of feet against the ground. It was strangely comforting to fly through the forest like this. His warmth was even more unbelievable now that I didn't have my own. I watched the fur bristling on his back and the trees speeding along. He was made for this…I was in awe of his strength and power. The confidence that radiated from him was undeniable, and I felt a twinge of my un-beating heart at the thought. I had loved Jacob, he had been a part of me when I had nothing and no-one else. Had that part died with my humanity?

Minutes later another group broke off and I was sure that we were at our group's final number. I was sure, with my newfound navigational skills, that we were moving toward my families burned out home. I couldn't figure out how being near the Volturi would help me now, but we did have to start somewhere. As long as my family didn't see me I would be fine.

"You know we're going to the Cullen's house right?" I asked.

The chuff was unmistakably Jacob's version of "duh!"

"Well I fail to see how putting us so close is going to…" I hadn't finished speaking before what looked like a white blur slammed into us. Jacob and I went sprawling. I rolled end over end for what felt like forever and I heard the unmistakable sound of snapping tree branches, or whole trees, I couldn't tell which. Finally I stopped and I began to wonder how much dirt one could get on themselves. I thought I might have dirt in my bellybutton.

What in the world was going on? Who or what had attacked us? "Jacob?" I called out in a shaky voice. "Jacob where are you?" I called out. He must be somewhere nearby. I couldn't have rolled that far away, "Jac…Oh my GOD!" My brain quieted. Almost like thoughts wouldn't come to me. I sat completely surprised by the destruction my roll through the woods had wrought. It really looked like a skinny bulldozer had clear cut the forest.

"You think that's bad? You should see the other guy!" The masculine voice had a heavy accent that I couldn't identify. My head turned to find the origin of the sound and the man was whipping his fists around like someone would hold a bat or one of those festival hammers, but he was swinging in the opposite direction. My defense…was not exactly a good one. I sat in confusion while his fists connected with my face. I went flying. I was too shocked to scream. I was definitely going to die.

**EPOV:**

"It's really easy to do." A voice from behind us spoke. "I have a really big herd of sheep."

All of us turned quickly toward the voice, even Emmett, who was still holding the shape shifter by the neck so her body swung back and forth with the force of his turn. This was getting more complicated by the second, and I worried that the strange new addition would be on the side of our captive.

I looked at my siblings and parents to see what was on their thoughts, but they were all asking the same question in their head. I allowed Carlisle to voice the opinion first, as he was indeed our father, the "leader" of our coven.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Carlisle asked with confusion. The woman before me was strangely beautiful, as any vampire her pigment was a light pallor, but she also had strange almond skin and dark shining hair. Something in the way she moved spoke of her age. She must have been incredibly old, but for some reason she didn't have Aro's onion like skin. It was beautiful and shone even in the darkness like she had her own bio-luminescence. She had an otherworldly quality that was sensual, but in another way she was matronly, like Esme. I felt like Carlisle, like the rest of the family, that I had known her somehow.

"Even though we've never met, I stood at your head and held your hand while the pain from your change enveloped you. I was with you and helped you hold in your screams while you hid amongst the rotting vegetables. It really is an honor Carlisle, you're one of the few members of our large family that went beyond what you are. I'm very proud of you." The woman spoke with a foreign accent, but one I had never heard before. It was lilting, gorgeous, lyrical and almost full of every tongue I had ever heard and some that I had not. She seemed to be evaluating each of us like I'd seen parents do at high school sports events. I was also surprised to hear into her mind and know that she did know us. It must have shown on my face, because she directed her attention to me.

"Edward, you can't possibly be surprised by anything that might happen at this point. You hear the minds all around you. All but one…where is the other half of your soul? Where is Bella, Edward?" Her voice was curious. How did she know all of us so intimately? How had she found us and if she was so omnipotent shouldn't she know where Bella was? The truth in her mind was that she didn't know any more than I did, but the fact that she knew my wife sent me into a protective and angry state.

We didn't know who she was, but she seemed to know all of us. If she was with the Volturi, we may be forced into a corner already…left with no time to plan. No way to find where Bella had gone. My extinguished heart clenched with the notion. Bella was in danger along with the rest of us, but at least we had each other. What did my wife have? Jacob. That random fact made me want to snarl with frustration and anger, that once again I was leaving her in his care.

"I don't know. How did you find us? Find her the same way..." I suggested with a fierce growl, but Jasper grabbed my shoulder and shook his head violently. I felt fear from him and I looked back at the strange woman. How could a lone vampire cause my brother, a man that I knew showed very little fear in the face of any situation, such a strong emotion?

In the moment that followed multiple things happened at once. Esme admonished me for my growl, Carlisle put up his hands as if to show that we meant no harm, and Alice began to move and speak. "Please…can you find her? We're scared she's going to be hurt." Alice walked toward the woman who opened her arms. Jasper let out a strangled noise in his throat as if he wanted to call out to our sister, his wife, who walked into the strange woman's waiting embrace. "I remember you." Alice's voice was a whisper, but we all heard her.

"Sweet little Mary. How have you been? I told you that everything would be okay…that your road of suffering was over." She stroked Alice's hair like a mother and my pixie sister for her part looked like a child who had found her lost parent. It would have been easy for them to be mistaken as mother and child with how small Alice was. "I'm so happy to see you here with all of them, to see you in person."

Jasper was still standing on the edge of fear and now confusion and a low rumbling growl filled the silent air. He looked as if he wanted to snatch his wife away from the woman that was soothing her. His thoughts ran parallel to that, _'Alice…don't get so close! What if she decides you're a sinner? What if she decides to kill you?' _My brother really did look a little terrified, and when Alice literally went rigid in the woman's arms I felt his complete horror thanks to his gift. It was almost immobilizing. "ALICE! NO!" He jumped forward to save her from the strange creature and ran into a wall of shimmering air and was thrown back. "ALICE!"

I felt myself fall into a crouch and the growl that followed from me was merciless. Carlisle walked in front of us blocking the rest of the family from springing forward and the strange vampire smiled at him. _'Edward, we can't just attack her, we've already seen that, and she has Alice. Don't do anything unless I tell you to.'_ I growled in response, but listened to my father.

'_Edward, I mean you no harm.' _The strange woman spoke with a fond look on her face as she held Alice close to her. "It's alright…she's just having a vision. I'm sure it will pass. These were much worse when she was human, not that the electroshock therapy helped much I'm sure."

"Alright, who the hell is this? Why does it feel like we've all met her?" Rosalie was angry, and she was starting to advance on the unnamed woman, but Emmett dropped the shape shifter and grabbed his wife with both hands and it looked very much like she resisted. "Let…me…GO!"

"Not a single chance in hell Rose." Emmett strained against his wife's struggles while looking between Jasper and Alice with strained worry. _'We've already lost Alice, there's no way my wife is going near that thing.'_

The shifter just lay on the ground with a sadistic smile and her thoughts worried me slightly, _'I won't have to do anything, and the first ones will tear them apart for me.'_

"Lillith, please don't hurt Alice. She's innocent!" Jasper was still reeling from whatever energy had tossed him…but his hands were pulling him along the ground. "I'm a million times more deserving of God's wrath…PLEASE!" I stared in shock at my brother.

"You're…Lillith?" Carlisle questioned with a confused and shocked look. _'I had taken it for an anecdote, but if this is Lillith herself before me I can hardly question the reality before my eyes. Why would she be here though? Is this issue so far reaching that even real myths have come to Forks?' _

"Yes, I am God's failed experiment. The first wife of Adam, who was cast out of the Garden of Eden, who gained knowledge of the world and its peoples by the hand of Lucifer the Devil himself. I have wandered the ages knowing every creature under my care, and in all of that time, I have seldom left my city. I know you all because I lightened each one of your burdens, for that is my gift. God granted me the ability to take the pain of your burden onto myself. None of you standing here before me have known the true face of hellfire because I saved you from it. I'm sure it was still the most painful thing you've ever known, but it was lessened by his mercy." She explained to my disbelief. Alice began to stir.

"Lillith, we have to find Bella, she's in trouble. Someone is beating the holy…" Alice smiled and looked repentant for a second. Jasper slowly began to rise from the ground and made a small groan at his wife's statement. "Sorry. Someone is fighting her and she's losing. It's pretty hard to watch."

"Alice, I can't see into your mind for some reason, where is she?" I demanded pushing past Carlisle, who grabbed my shoulders so that I couldn't go any closer.

"I'm not sure, it's like the vision goes in and out of focus, and I'm not sure why." Alice admitted with a worried look. "I'm sorry Edward."

"That's enough Lana, they aren't going to attack me, and you're scaring Jasper." Lillith quietly admonished, and a woman walked out of the trees. I was surprised as the air seemed to shimmer around her and then as if it had never happened it was gone.

The woman identified as Lana was tall and blonde with a thin form all the way until her belly, which was full. She was pregnant. I stammered and felt the need to point and stare although I didn't. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. If she was a vampire, this was unprecedented, and hopeful.

"Lana was turned when she was seven months pregnant Edward. She will never come to term, she has been like this for seventy years. I took her in because I worried that she would be preyed upon by others of our kind." Lillith informed me with a sad smile.

"Poor dear…" Esme approached Lana and placed her hand on the distended stomach that would never bear its fruit. Her hand came away in surprise seconds later. "It…it kicked!"

"Neither of us can die." Lana said with a strained look. "I'm not sad, but I wish that we could see each other. After so long, I think we deserve to know how each of us looks. It has no more awareness than any child in the womb, but I'm sure it would be nice to finally be born."

"Oh, how…" Esme mused out loud_. 'How incredibly sad, how truly awful,_' her thoughts finished in my head. Carlisle walked up to the two of them and held Esme as he looked at Lana.

"I'm sorry to say it, but that is incredibly fascinating." Carlisle stated with honest interest. "I've heard of this…but never actually seen it."

'_While we're at it I might as well invite everyone else forward.'_ My eyes shot back to Lillith who was alone now, because Alice had gone to comfort Jasper. "Everyone, it's safe, these are not people who would hurt us."

'_That remains to be seen.'_ Emmett thought while still holding Rosalie back.

The group that came out of the woods was seven strong. Some of them had the ancient look shared by the Volturi brothers, still others that lingered behind may have been younger than myself. One of the creatures at her side looked to be no older than nine years old. The small creature took Lillith's hand and looked up into her face and I noticed at once that her thoughts were not childlike despite her size. Esme locked eyes on her and threw her hands over her mouth in agonized shock.

Carlisle shook his head in disgust mentally bridling at the notion of making a child into a vampire. Jasper was the one to actually say anything aloud about it though, "I haven't seen one that young since I lived down south. Some of the less powerful vampires would get so desperate that they would change children to lure adults to them. It's definitely against the rules of the Volturi, because any time they were found they simply exterminated children."

I looked at the small creature holding Lillith's hand and felt my eyes narrow. Why would someone who professed to be good keep such a corruption of innocence at her side? Lillith must have noticed my distaste because she addressed Jasper's words first before going any further.

"It is an unfortunate and misguided practice, only done by weak creatures for the sake of their awful hunger. We are cursed, but there are none so cursed as those that take the life of a child. God…doesn't intend for any of us to suffer. We are meant to be this way…each one of us is fated to live as a vampire. There are those of us who have short lives as we are. The impact of their life is meant for someone else to learn from…but there are those who have a destiny beyond our imagination." Lillith stared into my eyes as if she were talking to me…as if she had been there with Carlisle and I for every argument, every debate we'd ever had. "There are those of us with destinies that are intertwined with another…"

"Alice…" my voice wavered. I couldn't wait any longer. My heart was out there, my destiny, out there somewhere away from me, and possibly hurt. "Alice please…where?"

"Edward…" My sister looked into my eyes and I watched as a man hit my wife over and over. She flew end over end and did very little to defend herself. She looked completely helpless. I felt the fury licking at my insides. How could anyone hit her like that? She wasn't some kind of monster…she was my angel.

"I have to get out of here!" I started to walk away from everyone, but Carlisle grabbed me again and held me still.

"Edward. We will find Bella, I promise it." Carlisle spoke tentatively.

"Where are we supposed to look?" Rosalie asked the question that was on my mind. "How are we supposed to know where she is?" Emmett let go of his wife and she walked toward the woods. "She could be anywhere by now, and Alice's vision must not have had a hint because you all look so helpless."

Alice glared at Rosalie, "I'm sorry! Take a left turn at the elm tree isn't a very good indicator! It's not my fault there aren't a lot of visual signposts in the middle of the woods! With Bella knocking over all the trees and bushes I'm sure we could just follow the path of destruction!"

Rosalie crossed her arms across her chest. "That's something! We could try to hear her…I mean…she's probably making a lot of noise if she's getting her ass handed to her."

I growled at my sisters and took Carlisle's hand off my shoulder. "Alice, can you try again?"

"I can always TRY…but I'm not making any promises right now." My psychic sister grumbled.

"Well TRY then." I growled.

"Edward, please show some civility, it isn't Alice's fault. Get off my wife's back and maybe it'll be easier for her to find Bella." Jasper accused.

Alice was once again having a vision and I was privy to it this time. Rosalie was about to be hit. "LOOK OUT!" Alice screeched, but it was too little too late, and a little too ambiguous as she forgot to tell Rose who exactly was supposed to 'look out' at all.

A body crashed through the woods and slammed into Rosalie with a sound louder than a clap of thunder, and they both went soaring into a tree that snapped under the velocity and power of their flight and when a man crashed through the trees I recognized him immediately as the monster that was hurting my wife. I spun toward the mass of arms and legs that was the projectile that hit Rose and was surprised to see my Bella.

"Bella!" Alice seemed overjoyed that we'd found her without any added questions.

"Are you okay, Love?" I questioned while placing myself between my wife and the vampire that had been pummeling her. Carlisle and Esme went with me because Carlisle was once again holding me back.

"I'm okay!" The shaky voice of my wife proved to me that she was still confused from her lost battle. I wasn't even sure she knew who was talking to her.

"CAIN!" Lilltih yelled. "Don't hit that poor creature, she's not who you think she is!"

The man before me crouched low as if he were going to attack my wife again and I growled and crouched as well. I would drag Carlisle with me if I had to.

"She was attacking a wolf in the forest, and she reeks of the Volturi. That's all I need to know." He dropped lower and sprung forward as the air shimmered and he flew backward away from Carlisle, Esme, and I. "Lana! How dare you?"

Cain snarled and I bared my teeth at him. He would never get the chance to hit my Bella again, and I wasn't about to let him hit a pregnant woman…although I'm sure it didn't matter.

"Hold on!" Jacob Black was hopping out of the trees as he drug on a pair of pants. "Wait, Bella didn't try to hurt anyone! I'm just fine! I got a little preoccupied there for a bit. She's probably pretty harmless considering she can't even remember what she is half the time."

A naked woman with pale white skin, white hair, and red eyes walked out from behind Jacob and I hissed. "LOOK OUT JACOB!"

"She's an albino Edward, not a vampire." My father cautioned, and then I realized that he was correct.

"She's also a wolf." Emmett pointed to his nose.

Meanwhile it seemed that my wife was finally coming out of her stupor. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…ROSALIE!" Bella threw her arms around her sister. "I'm really glad to see you…even though I shouldn't be!"

Everyone had finally had enough, we were confused, angry, intrigued, fed up. At long last I was about to comment, but I let Emmett be the one to lose his cool for once, his voice booming through the empty air. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

**BPOV:**

I was tumbling end over end and I was sure when he was done playing with me I was going to die. It wasn't going to be hard to kill me, obviously. I couldn't seem to fight him. I didn't want to. My body was not going to allow the man to be hurt, and I didn't want his endless blows to stop because it would mean I had let him down. Why that was even a concern for me, I wasn't sure. What did it mean? Why did I want him to kill me? Why couldn't I even seem to move my body without his approval? I felt his presence with my ability, but I couldn't access it. What was he?

I crashed over bushes, under bushes, through trees. I had never gone through a tree before, but this was a day for new things. I had been married in a shower, I had had sex, I was going off on some kind of journey to meet a biblical character. I had had sex. These were all firsts, going through a tree seemed kind of tame in comparison, but I was just as captivated.

My brain was better at processing things at great speeds as a vampire. I watched the splinters of wood fly through the air with me and was fascinated by my multitasking skills. I could study wood grain, and get my ass handed to me at the same time, great.

I rolled to a stop and waited for him to come get me again, but this time he picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. I heard voices after a few minutes of being carried, and then he grabbed me by the shoulder and the leg as he prepared what I assumed was to be my death. He was probably going to start tearing me apart. At least it would be quick, and my family wouldn't have to see me suffer. Edward would be furious with me when we met again in heaven. I could only imagine his anger as he held me and called me irresponsible and crazy…but at least I was his irresponsible, crazy wife.

It surprised me then that the man holding me began to swing me back and forth and finally to let go. I literally went flying. He had been hitting me up until this point, this was the first time he'd deliberately thrown me. I went crashing through a thick bush and then crashed into what may have been a large boulder for all the noise it made when we collided. Shocked voices filled the air and I couldn't seem to pick any out that made sense until someone asked a question.

"I'm okay!" I answered back…mostly because I wasn't sure what was going on, and I wanted to confirm it for myself. This would all have been kind of humorous if I wasn't so completely confused. My brain literally felt like it had been packed in cotton.

Seconds later I heard a woman's voice and the pall on my brain seemed to lift, as if someone had lifted a thick veil. Everything came back in to sharp focus and I was looking at the person under me while I came out of it to discover something welcome. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…ROSALIE!" I've never been so happy to see someone who didn't really like me all that much. "I'm really glad to see you…even though I shouldn't be!" It was true, I shouldn't be happy to see Rosalie. If I had ended up with my family and not found Lillith for the Volturi there was a good chance that we could all end up dead.

My Edward was hunched in between me and my attacker as if sent by God himself to protect me from further harm. Carlisle was holding him by the shoulders and Esme was standing next to him as if to hold onto her husband to help anchor mine back. Either way I was beyond confused to find myself in their company, but endlessly pleased. I felt myself do a quick double take when I saw myself lying immobile on the ground and realized quickly that I wasn't having an episode, it was the shape shifter. She'd obviously failed to fool my family very well. I wondered who figured it out and how long it took.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Emmett bellowed, and I seconded it. Who were all of these people beyond my family? Why was I the only one who had been beaten to a pulp when everyone else seemed fine? Was this more of my bad luck at work?

Everyone seemed pretty startled by my large brother's outburst and I was still staring at him when I felt myself lifted away from Rosalie and into the cage of my husband's arms. His words when he finally spoke were almost hoarse with emotion, "Isabella Marie Cullen, how could you do that to me after everything we've had to endure? I would have thought that we've been torn apart for long enough for you to understand the pain of that! How Bella? Please, don't ever lie to me like that again. I thought you were hurt!"

He turned my face up and stared into my eyes stroking his long fingers over the apples of my cheeks assuring himself that I was there and whole. Edward brushed his hands into my hair and held me while I tried not to cry tearlessly. He shook his head and continued, "I thought you were dead…AGAIN!" He was still rocking me like a small child and I buried my face into his throat so that I could breathe him into myself. "Really…you're going to be the death of me Isabella."

I didn't think it would be much consolation to tell him that I thought I was going to die too, so I kept that statement to myself. I also realized that he would not hesitate to lead himself down the path of destruction now that he'd tasted our mutual heaven. Living forever without each other was no longer ever going to be an option. I wanted to console him in some way, but I realized quickly that I had no words and I just clutched at his body instead, hoping he would understand. When I felt him trembling I realized at last that he was long beyond caring about my excuses for all of this, he just wanted me in his arms, and I was loath to disagree. I wanted to be there.

"Bella!" Alice called out to me.

"Are you sure?" Jasper asked with actual concern.

"Definitely, do you know anyone else that could cause this much of a commotion in such a short time?" My small sister inquired of her husband.

Jasper sized me up as I peered at him over Edward's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

Emmett walked over to Rosalie and brought her out of the mess that I'd created by flying into her. "Hey kid. Don't hit my woman."

"I won't. I'm sorry Rosalie." I whispered back, hoping that I hadn't offended Rosalie and somehow ended the détente we'd finally reached by slamming into her even if it wasn't my fault.

"I suppose you're forgiven, just long enough for all of this to be fixed, and then we're going to have a little chat." Rosalie put her arm around Emmett and I snuggled further into my husband's embrace. I'd never felt so safe. It was probably in lieu of the fact that I'd felt so completely unfortunate and unprotected a few minutes ago.

My family stood in a loose half circle with Edward and I in the center directly behind Carlisle, and we looked very much like we were a unified front now that we were together. I was terrified by what the Volturi would do if they found out that I'd failed. Would they be lenient? What could we do to save ourselves now?

At this point I came to realize that there were nine other vampires in the road beyond my family. One of them seemed to be very pregnant and yet another was a small child. I wondered if they were some kind of strange miracle, or if someone was actually sick enough to turn some eight year old kid into a vampire not to mention an innocent pregnant lady.

Esme kept looking guiltily over her shoulder at us, as if she were to blame for Edward's pain exclusively. Once again I felt the need to shout to the heavens that the world was missing its target. She looked into my eyes and I could almost feel her holding me and I could tell she would have been crying in relief if she could. Carlisle's fingers would intermittently reach out and they would wind between hers and squeeze as if to say, 'you're not the only one."

"Now that we're all together, please allow us a short moment to speak amongst ourselves, I need to get everyone up to speed and to placate my loving husband." The strange almond skinned woman looked pointedly at a tall pregnant woman and she seemed to relax as the air shimmered once more. I felt the tension ratchet up around us again and Edward pulled me as close as physics would allow.

"Of course, Lillith," Carlisle answered and my eyes must have looked like they were ready to pop out of my head. I struggled instantly to my feet and Edward's arms were gone. I felt empty, but I rushed around the unified front of my family and ran to the strange woman in front of me. I heard a hiss of indignation come from behind me, but I didn't bother to figure out who had made the noise.

"Please! I don't know why they wanted me to come to you, but I'm supposed to beg for your help. I need to let you know who I am, and everything that's happened up to now." I was desperate to at least finish my mission. The only thing that might save my family from harm now was my stubborn nature.

I immediately regretted leaving Edward behind, not just because it obviously made him angry, but because Cain had his hands clamped tightly around my throat in seconds. "Who are 'they' little vampire?" The man shook me hard as my feet dangled and my discomfort grew. I could not draw in any air to my useless lungs, but it still felt as if I should, so I probably could be forgiven for panicking. I heard my family snarling, watching helplessly from the other side of a shimmering wall that I felt I could manipulate if the man before me wasn't so completely ruining my concentration.

I kicked and flailed and was seconds away from biting the man restraining me when he looked deeply into my eyes and spoke, "stop." I was like a rag doll. My arms fell like a puppet with its strings cut. The cotton was back to being packed into my head. "Tell me, who sent you?"

"Aro." I said without the ability to stop although it was whispered and I had to force the word through my crushed windpipe.

"So you see my wife, she is just another pawn of the Volturi. These days…who can even tell who is just and who is not?" Cain snarled into my face and my mind shrunk in fear away from him as my body just continued to hang limply. "You assume that just because you know them as they are in their transformation that they'll be the same person once they're done. She's a newborn besides…easily swayed for the price of blood and power."

The commotion from my family grew by the second and my captor snarled at them. "Be silent!" I was dumbfounded when they literally fell miserably quiet. Edward despite no longer being able to speak slammed silently into a shimmering wall of air over and over, biting and clawing at nothing while Emmett tried to hold him back, and I wished desperately that I had stayed in his embrace.

"You aren't asking the right questions Cain…but you may be right. Let her go. Let me ask her for myself, and I mean that, don't put any words in her mouth. Release them all." Lillith demanded, and the man who must have been her mate shook his head and suddenly we were all free again. Although I still felt stiff and somehow confined I was in charge of myself again.

"Jacob! Do something!" Edward begged when he regained control of his voice. I had almost forgotten Jacob was present. Cain put me down and glared at Edward and then looked over his shoulder at Jacob who looked back at the woman, who shook her head.

Jacob for his part looked torn. His hands were balled into fists and he shook with anger. However, he didn't approach or make any move to free me from the clutching fingers that were still clamped on my neck. I watched the woman next to him whispering into his ear and Jacob relaxed completely as he looked back at Edward to reply, "it's going to be fine."

"Does that look fine to YOU?" My husband snarled.

Cain ignored the conversation and spoke to me. "You will answer her honestly…and you will remain exactly as you are until we are satisfied." I couldn't seem to break free from his thrall, and my power seemed to be stumped by his so I relaxed and paid attention to Lillith.

The group of vampires behind her seemed to regard my family and I carefully. The strange child stood with the bleached almond skinned woman and held her hand, but I had the feeling she didn't need her support.

Eyes seemed to survey my every move like they were weighing my worth. The child's eyes seemed to reflect age and knowledge, and I was immediately aware that she seemed to have a sort of inner glow.

The pregnant woman was concentrating very hard, and I guessed that she was the one keeping my family at bay, the reason for the shimmering wall.

There were two willowy men that looked very much alike, at first glance I guessed them to be twins, but they were just very similar.

A middle aged Indian woman stood toward the back and seemed to be less interested in what was going on with us and more interested in my clone who had for some reason still not moved.

A very slight and beautiful Asian man stood by Lana with a hand on her shoulder. I couldn't be sure if he was helping her to use her power or supporting her emotionally.

Finally there was an old man who seemed to share the same features as Cain and Lillith. He must have been from the same place. He too took no interest in me…he was busy staring unabashedly at Rosalie. I didn't have to wonder where that was headed.

Lillith recaptured my attention when she began to talk again. "Tell me what you think I need to know…" Her voice was captivating and impossible to ignore. Lillith didn't need a strange power to illicit her desired response; her voice was just as useful a device.

"I don't even know where to begin. I'm Bella…" I started.

The woman before me interrupted before I could continue, "I know you already. You…are Isabella Swan, daughter of Charles and Renee Swan. A human who fell deeply in love with a vampire for the most innocent of reasons, love itself. Not power, not immortality, although you would have gladly suffered it to stay by his side. I know all of my children little one; you don't need to introduce yourself." Lillith smiled in an easy way, but I was still incredibly wary.

"Honestly…then I don't know what else to say. The Volturi told me that I had to tell you my story. I just don't want the people here with me to be hurt you can do whatever you want with me. I just want all of this danger to go away, I'll do anything, please don't hurt them." I answered back in what I hoped would be a credible tone.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward cross his arms over his chest in a way that I was very familiar with. His face turned to the side, his eyes closed in a pained mask of fear and anger. He was probably furious with me, but I hoped that I could eventually get back in his good graces if I lived that long.

"I never thought I'd find a person that would come to me for the sake of others and with so little regard to themselves. Aro led you to believe that I would destroy you didn't he? Yet, you sought me out with no thought but to save your family from harm. To give your coven, and your mate the opportunity for freedom, you were willing to die. How many immortals would be willing to give up their life before even four days had passed for the sake of another? Your strength of character surprises and relieves me."

Jacob had been walking slowly closer and closer, the woman behind him shadowing his every move as if they were in complete sync with each other. "Look, I don't know who you are or what's going on…but I can tell you that Bella is one of the most honest people I know. Nothing would ever change that. She's…my best friend." I smiled when Jacob said that. He hadn't given up on me even though I had changed so much. I wanted very much to give him a hug and return the sentiment, but I was fixed in place by Cain's power.

Cain seemed to look at me critically. "So, you've made friends with the wolves?" He questioned with an arch to his brow. "Maybe there's more to you than I thought."

"You have worried yourself unnecessarily Cain." The old man spoke as he seemed to eye Rosalie's thighs. "This one is pure. Her aura is white…like a child…like an angel."

"Fine…" Cain let me loose and I stumbled to the ground and clutched my throat. The boundary between my family and I was lifted once more and Alice sat next to me on the ground while I panted for unnecessary air.

"See what happens when you wander off?" She actually seemed very angry with me. My pixie sister, who had always been so completely supportive of me leaned close to my ear and whispered in words I never would have understood had I been human. "If you ever put yourself and Edward in that kind of danger again I'll see to it that I sing the Bulgarian National Anthem backwards so that Edward can't tell I'm about to beat the crap out of you and I'll…beat the crap out of you!"

I nodded my head and apologized.

"Save it for Edward. Look, you're going to make him neurotic. Just…from here on out…don't let go of Edward okay? He can't take much more of this, and he doesn't need any more issues. Marriage is a compromise Bella, you're going to have to learn that there is another part of yourself that doesn't always know what you're going to do next, but would die if you were hurt. Fortunately that side also loves you unconditionally. You hurt him more than you can know…just…help him understand what you were doing. I can wait on an explanation, but he can't." Alice confided, and just as quickly as her anger had shown itself, Alice smiled. I took that to mean that she was finished being angry and when she wrapped herself in a bear hug around me I knew that she would always consider me her sister…even when I was making horrible mistakes and hurting her favorite brother. I looked up at him and he seemed introspective, like he was miles away. He didn't run to me or reach for me, and his arms were wrapped around himself still.

As Alice helped me to stand and escorted me back to Edward, who had stood back and away from us as our sister had talked to me I noticed that the entire family was waiting for Edward to move or speak, and I found myself troubled once more because I couldn't breathe.

**EPOV**

Alice reached out to me in my mind as I made my way toward my gasping wife who lay curled on the ground, _"Edward, I have to talk to Bella really fast privately."_ As if to deter me…she began singing show tunes in her head. "See what happens when you wander off?" Alice spoke aloud, and I heard the venom in her tone.

Looking at them I could only imagine what Alice was saying. Whatever it was my wife's eyes were surprised and apologetic. I couldn't read her mind, but I had learned to read her face. At the moment I really don't know what to say to her, so letting Alice have her way is probably best. Bella is driving me mad, and it's only our first day as husband and wife. At least I had a lot of excitement to look forward to. Carlisle was a medical doctor…perhaps I could schedule my wife a visit with a vampire therapist if they exist.

Watching her say that she didn't care what they did with her was the hardest moment of my life. Before this it had always been my time away from my Bella when I had demanded our separation and I believed her dead. Then it was when the Volturi had come and stolen and killed her. Now though…the fresh torture of her leaving herself in danger for the sake of us… even though we could have tried to help… tried to protect her. I couldn't fault her for not knowing how fiercely my family was willing to fight for each other. I had kept her from so much of our animal nature.

I wanted to reach out to her and pull her back into my arms, but I was almost afraid she didn't want me there. She crossed the line and put herself into danger again, but I wondered if she would even be half of the woman she was if she was careful and reserved. Partially, it was my love's fire that attracted me… and yet in moments like this I wondered if it wouldn't be long before she tired of me, especially as she grew into herself. Would I limit her? Who would Bella become as she grew, and would there be room for me when she inevitably changed?

Alice finally smiled widely and gave my Bella a hug and pulled her to her feet. I wanted to be close to her fire… I didn't want her to be away from me. Most of all I didn't want to hinder her. Already she was so strong, almost completely independent. She didn't need my strength; she had her own. She didn't need my power; she had more than anyone I'd ever met. She was my angel though… my reason for being now. I'd never had a purpose before, but what if she didn't want that anymore? I stared down at the side of the road and waited for her wondering all the while if I would find myself waiting forever.

When Bella finally reached me she drew my arms away from my chest. Had I left them there? "Edward?" Her voice was shaking… almost like she was afraid. "Edward… please… I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around me and I felt like I was falling in around her. Perhaps I was. I always felt like I was made to love her. Perhaps I was.

That was what Lillith had said…that some people are made to be a part of another person's destiny. I know that there have been moments in my life where I've been self involved...my rebellious youth. I shuddered to think about it. Perhaps I had suffered those times so that I would understand Bella better. I can't imagine how, but it was possible that my experience would help hers. I was a monster so she wouldn't have to be. I was such an abomination in contrast.

I was so far beneath her devotion, her presence. The old man had called her an angel…an innocent. What was I? A demon: corrupting, irresolute, and soulless. If anyone had sinned it was me. I had stolen, killed, disobeyed my father and mother, lied, cheated, coveted, and now…I had even been guilty of stealing a pure creature's soul. I should be damned for making an angel my wife and allowing her untimely seduction.

She still seemed so delicate, for some reason, I still worried that I could break her. Her body, her heart, her mind, every part of her was bound to me now and I didn't want to see her hurt in any way. What if all the evil that I had done tainted her somehow? What if the creatures before us decided to hurt her like she asked, and tortured her for my sins? I loved her more than words could ever convey. "Edward…Edward please…" Bella was begging me, but for what? She seemed to feel more desperate all the time that she was touching me, her grip becoming stronger by the second.

Finally I realized that everyone was waiting on me. I came back to myself with a start and realized that I had been completely zoned out and lost in my own thoughts. That was also when I realized that everyone else's voices were gone. "Look at me." My wife demanded with a dark look on her face. I fixed my eyes on hers and everyone else seemed to look elsewhere… as if they knew that I was about to be reprimanded and didn't want to watch. "That's right… that would be exactly what they're doing, and I'm sorry that I'm doing this, but you've left me with very little choice."

"I'm sorry… I don't…" I stammered, although I understood that she was talking about stealing my power I didn't know what she was angry about, if anyone had the right to be angry…

"You're right. You are definitely allowed to be angry with me right now." Bella stated and I noticed that Emmett flinched. I wondered obtusely if he knew something I didn't. "I'm right here." She growled. My power…was annoying.

"I'm sorry, I just don't understand." I mumbled back.

"Edward. I can't believe you still see yourself like that!" My love admonished me. Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Can you excuse us for a second?" Bella grabbed my arm and drug me off toward the woods past both groups of staring individuals. I heard a low whistle that might have been anyone… although I was going to put my money on Jasper.

"It was Esme." My wife grumbled. "You're right. This is annoying. Here…have it back." The voices returned at a dull roar and I winced. Immediately afterward she spoke. "Even if something happened to me it wouldn't be your sin that caused it, and if I ever even think I hear you mention something about you being an abomination I'll give you a real monster to deal with!"

Her finger poked me hard in the ribs and I put my hands up in defense. "How much did you hear?" I asked with a grimace.

"Enough." My Bella narrowed her brows and glowered.

"Then you know I love you… that I adore you," I quickly defended.

"At the expense of yourself," my love pointed out. "You see yourself as some kind of horror. I assure you that my love is just as strong, that I love you so deeply that it hurts to be away from you. It's physically painful! How could you think such horrible things about yourself and think that I'll be free of the same disgust. I stole a car to get here. I lied… to my mother and father about what I was. I killed that deer I drank with my own two hands and drank mortal blood on my way back from Italy. I disobeyed Carlisle by simply walking around him to defy his status in our family. I coveted you and every inch of your body and I enjoyed every SECOND of my soul's 'untimely seduction' so don't even think of our lovemaking as something to denigrate. Do you regret our marriage Edward?" The fire left her quickly. She backed away with wide eyes that were filled with hurt and confusion.

I was silent for only a second before I spoke, but I didn't want to hurt her again. "I… NO… I don't… I would never regret having you in my life. I feel like I'm basking in your presence. Like I don't have a right to be here, but by some miracle you've allowed me. Please Bella… never…" I came forward to hold her hands. "I just want to be worthy of you. I just want to be worth all of the pain you've been suffering to be with me."

"Can't you let me be the judge of that?" Bella pleaded. "Won't you ever see me as someone who can make an intelligent decision on their own? I know you're older, I know you've had experiences that set you apart from me in ways that I frankly am never sure I ever want to experience. If you really love me like you say you do though…you'll know that I'm smart enough to know my own mind, and I do. I want you more than anything! More than air, more than life, more than blood and I honestly never thought that would be true from the way you were going on about being a newborn. Something in you…something in us…is different. We're different!"

My hands were suddenly in hers our fingers twining together. "I may not be your creation, but I am yours, in every way. I want to be yours. Alice was right…I haven't been very good at compromise so far. I keep trying to take everything on my own because I think I'm helping, but in reality I've been failing you. No…not you alone. I've been failing us. Let me walk with you. We've both walked alone for far too long."

"It isn't your fault alone. I've been by myself so long I'm not so sure I even know how to compromise on some things. I've been trying…learning how to be your partner. I'm so used to being good at things I've forgotten how to try them for the first time sometimes. You're right about one thing…that we have to start believing in us. We have to work together…seamlessly…or we may lose ourselves. Bella…I'm yours too. Never forget that. It's my hope too. I want to be yours." I felt lighter by merely saying the words. I felt more human…less like a monster to belong to such an angel.

"Edward…" Her lips sealed over mine with a longing that I mirrored in my very depths. The stress had been so thick that I had felt it suffocating me but now that it was lifting I was awash in the relief of it. I loved the rush…the sensation of her touching me…and the freedom of being with her as a man should. She was right, nothing could be more important than being a part of her.

We pressed against each other straining to feel the connection of our passion. I was becoming lost in her. Lost in the moment so that we could find us, and I was joyful to find that I had never lost her. I had held her in my heart the entire time. I pushed her body against an old oak and kissed down her throat conspiring to begin removing the burden of clothing when Carlisle walked into my line of sight.

"I don't want to intrude upon your marriage, and I understand that there is a certain…sensuality in fighting that causes a natural reaction to…you know what? I'm going to just say this plainly. We don't have the time or the momentary stability for make-up sex right now." He was easily the most nervous I'd ever seen him, and I read in his thoughts that it was because he felt that he was intruding on something important. I arched my eyebrow at him.

"_I follow a very important rule that I'm breaking right now inside our family."_ Carlisle thought at me.

"Which is?" I asked aloud.

"Never involve yourself in the domestic affairs of others." My father replied with a smile. "However, it's important for you to hear Lillith's story, and I didn't want to start without you. Cain has decided that we aren't as much of a threat as he'd believed. At least, he honestly thinks we aren't working for the Volturi in the broadest sense of the word, and that seems to be a positive for him…and us. Now…what that means?" Carlisle shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, I was going to just let it go…but when I heard his voice in my head saying such awful things…I just became so…angry." My wife confessed.

"I thought it might be something like that." Carlisle admitted. "I just want you both to be happy. Please give us time to work out the bigger picture so that we can get down to more important things later."

I smiled at my father and was happy to find that everyone had confidence with me in my relationship, because they assumed that we would be together. I read in my father's thoughts that he'd come to the forest because he'd known that we'd have already worked through our problems and moved onto something more pleasurable. Actually I was a bit embarrassed with how right he actually was. I had been excited and more than ready to take advantage of our new physical connection.

"I wanted you too…" My wife whispered in a quiet and sensual way. I smiled regardless of our situation and looked forward to getting her alone again as soon as I could despite the odds of that…I was hopeful.

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**_AN: Now leave a nice, juicy review and then scamper off to my Profile page and click on that link to vote for Escaping Sol at the Twilight Awards._**

**I'm also beyond pleased to have the help of Cullenista as a beta, she's written an excellent story "Blue Moon Over Manka's" which you should ALL read. She's doing an excellent job of expanding the emotional aspects of Bella and Edward's relationship in a healthy and realistic way. Cheers to her!**

**_Thank you very much._**

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	19. Stories and Myths

**AN: I'm really sorry about the delays on the updates. I keep thinking that I'll have time and then when I get there it slips away. I am painting ceilings and taking up carpet, putting down flooring and I'm going to be putting up drywall. Who can say where the time to write has gone. On top of that my job has given me some new duties including scheduling and payroll, so I'm doing more at night instead of writing. This is a good thing on one hand and a bad thing on another. I love having more responsibilities… I hate losing my time to write.**

**For everyone who asked…grandpa' is still… somehow… holding on. I don't question stuff like this, I just live in it and enjoy it. I'm glad for the extra time we've been given. Writing about immortal people makes you weigh your own mortality. Who knew?**

**I've been nominated for a few things over at the "Twilight Awards" and I would like you all to vote for me if you get the time. I put a link to the VOTE page on my Profile/bio page here, click on my Pen Name above to get there.  
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**There are officially, since the last two chapters, one thousand eight hundred of you out there… Did you know?**

**You know what would make me laugh. Like officially give me a belly rumbling? If every single one of you would review with this chapter. I know I've never been big on the asking for reviews thing, but if there really are two thousand of you out here…it would be awesome to see every last one of you represented. I don't care if it's just the word "hi." Honestly that would give me less to respond to. **

**Those of you who do review know that I respond back. I don't just write novels here… I write them in response to your one word review. The only times that hasn't happened, I fear, is when the reviews somehow end up in my spam folder… which I now check for reviews… or when FF net screws it up and I don't get it in my inbox. Let's see it people! I just want to see if you're really out there or if my account is all sorts of crazy about how many people are reading this!**

**Another thanks to Tammy, who is going to be helping me with the project of making this story "all reader" friendly. She's a great lady and another Twilight Mom who had a daughter she wanted to share my story with…but she's a bit too young for the content and so the YA project was born. I can't tell you how flattered I was and how neat it is that she liked my story enough to share it with her daughter. Tammy, you're awesome!**

**On with the fic!**

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**_Escaping Sol_ by Ranma15177**

**Chapter 19: _Stories and Myths_**

**BPOV:**

The walk back to our family was silent, and although we were only a mile from the now burned out house on the Sol Duc river it felt like we could never be far enough away. I wished there was a way to build a wall around the clearing that used to hold Edward's house. My husband held my hand and I held his. I hoped that, between the two of us, we could make everything work out. I wanted Alice's vision of me going with Aro to be nothing more than a fluke, and for all of us to walk away unscathed. I wanted these strangers that fate had intertwined us with to tell us to go far away, that they didn't need us. Who were we anyway? What made us so special? It wasn't an impossible dream, but what did I know? I could no longer dream in the strictest sense of the word.

As we walked through the trees and back onto the pavement I stared at the way the light from the streetlamp bounced off of the rain in the darkness. It was amazing to me how much of the world was changed by my enhanced vision. How light it seemed despite the fact that it was dark. The two groups ahead of us still stood apart from one another and Carlisle had already gotten back to Esme's side. They all seemed to be discussing something but when the woman that I'd been sent to find by the Volturi made eye contact with me she smiled and all other talk ceased.

"Ah, they've returned!" Lillith clapped her hands in a way that reminded me of Aro. "See Cain, you made too much out of their conversation as usual. They are just newlyweds… and it's hard to work out the depth of your relationship under the watchful eyes of your parents and siblings."

It was strange to me to hear her speaking sentiments that I only believed were followed by Carlisle and the Cullen's. I was pretty sure that the sanctity of marriage wasn't big on the list of priorities for other vampires, especially since they were more prone to use words like "mate" and not "husband" or "wife."

"I'm just being careful. No one can be trusted. Any one of them could be him… any one of them could be allured, controlled, or taken in. We need to be sure." Cain seemed to look at Lillith fondly, and I guessed that they were still together. That had to be one heck of a relationship, and a true romance story.

"Cain, we're being rude… we haven't even introduced ourselves. They have had a fair display of our powers, but they are certain to be just as weary as we are." Lillith placed a hand on Cain's shoulder and then looked beyond him to us.

Edward and I stood once again at the center while the other members of the family stood around us, Carlisle at the front. This time I would not move from my place behind him. I had learned my lesson. My family was there for me and I would help them, but for them to help me I had to work with them not against them.

"As I stated before, I am Lillith. You know one of my gifts… the power to know all of my children, but I have one more. I hold the power to take lives away. Like the burning glow of the candle snuffed by a simple gust of breath. I seldom use this gift, but it is there, and I allow that as my only warning. If you sin against us, I will not be gentle." I saw deep in her eyes the steely reserve to kill. I didn't need any confirmation. I had seen this look before with James, with Aro, and even Jasper.

Lillith looked to her left, and motioned for us to look at Cain. "This is my husband… my mate… Cain. He is my other half, as well as being graced with the power of necromancy." I blinked a few times, and I guessed that there were others in my family that didn't quite understand what she meant exactly; at least I hoped that I wasn't the only one who was lost.

The man before us was small but muscled like Emmett; he had strangely delicate features, almost pointed and elvish. In point of fact both he and Lillith were very small people. His hair was jet black and was pulled into a long ponytail. The fitted jeans, silk shirt, and crisp leather shoes threw me off a bit. For some reason I expected these old creatures to wear cloaks like the Volturi or togas or something. Obviously they'd given up on the dramatics that the vampires in Voltera still clung to. I focused for a second on the man's eyes, and something in them reminded me that this was the guy who killed his brother in cold blood… but maybe time and Lillith had changed him?

"I control the dead." Cain looked into my eyes and said, "Jump." The reaction was immediate and completely unstoppable. I jumped. Edward snarled. "Don't get angry about what you are. We're all dead here. It shouldn't bother you by now."

"I'm curious." Carlisle spoke and ended the silence from us. "Do you also control…"

Before Carlisle could finish speaking Lillith's mate spoke again. "Corpses? Yeah, freshly buried, not so freshly buried, as long as their bones haven't turned to dust I can make them move. It's probably because I'm the only one of us that has ever seen heaven. Or know the true licking flames of hell."

The concept startled me. I know that Aro said God gave Cain back to Lillith… but I hadn't given much thought as to how that worked. I didn't particularly want to know.

"Lana is hard to miss…and we have discussed her a bit." Lillith pointed to the pregnant woman who seemed to have been focused on something else before her name was said. Once again she wore modern garments, but they were obviously maternity clothes. It was no wonder that she wouldn't be able to live in society. How could you stay inconspicuous with a belly that large that never bore a child?

"I create and warp energy to create fields of deflection." Lana smiled and patted her stomach. "In times of deep stress the little one has been known to actually freeze time…but it is not something that I can control, and it is not long lasting. A few seconds at most. Enough for me to escape I suppose."

Carlisle leaned forward and shuffled from one foot to the next. He seemed to want to study the strange woman, I knew that the medical aspect of his personality was chomping at the bit to test and examine the unusual creature before us. It was a testament to his years of practice that he was standing still and not bursting with questions.

Lillith continued introducing us to the group that stood with her. "Akira is her husband, and he has the ability to give focus to others." The slight man that stood next to her was probably the most delicate and beautiful looking man I had ever seen, in fact I had been waffling about whether or not he was a girl. I was a little embarrassed when he focused on me for a second and seemed to whisper something too low for all of us to hear into Lana's ear. The woman nodded her head and he took his arm off of her shoulder. "He could, for example focus Edward enough to hear a thought from someone on the other side of the planet… or give Lana the strength to hold back an entire family of vampires."

My large brother seemed to smile a bit at that and looked at Rosalie, however Rosalie seemed to be endlessly transfixed on Lana's stomach. She looked deeply afraid of something. Edward must have started to focus on Rosalie's mind because he looked at her with concern and pity. Emmett looked at Edward and my husband shook his head. "Not now." The words were fast and quiet, but I knew that whatever it was, it was serious.

"My name is Priya." The middle aged Indian woman spoke. She smiled at Lillith. "Once upon a time I was a princess. Now I am an old vampire. These things happen. Since we are telling stories I will give you one of my own." The woman was dressed in bright colors that seemed to stand out amidst the dark greens of the forest, and as she walked forward I was in awe of how completely and inhumanly graceful she was. I was like a plodding mule compared to her Arabian elegance.

"I have… since I was a little girl… loved plants. My father's gardens bloomed richly before I married and then my husband's fields flourished. I once visited the hanging gardens and was consumed by the complexity of nature. I dreamed of being as beautiful as a blossoming flower. One day, a man stole me from my husband in the night and changed me into what I am today. I have no mate… my husband was my only love, and I have never known his equal, but at the time I would not have him see me as I was. At first I thought my life was empty and then I learned that I can coax beautiful things to grow and change. It is not overtly powerful or destructive… or really even very useful when you compare it to my fellows… but it brings me joy in an uncertain life. When I bring life to a blighted field, or change the direction of a tree that has long decided how it will grow I am content. Also, I am keeping this one restrained."

Priya pointed at the shape shifter who was struggling against a vine that had sprouted through the middle of the pavement. I had almost forgotten the creature that had taken my place was still here. The plant had to have been made stronger than steel to hold a vampire in thrall.

Priya smiled at Esme and I couldn't help liking the brightly clothed woman in the way that I liked my new mother. She seemed gentle and caring. Esme also seemed to like her as her smile was broad and I could almost hear them talking about planting zones. "You have spent time making the flowers grow. I can see it. Lillith… these are good people."

Silence followed the statement and Lillith continued. "These are Misha and Piotr. They are new to my city and our guard. They are brothers who were taken by a female and left alone ten years ago. They joined us early this summer. I did not look to find them…they found us. Piotr is gifted with pure luck. Things will immediately go in his favor even if he seems to be losing. Piotr stumbled upon Nod using his power because they were tired of living the way that they did and he wished to live a better way. Misha is able to warp the perception of reality. He can make you see things, hear things, and believe them to be true. Be careful though… because they are tricksters. Also… they don't speak any English, so if you know Russian or Chinese you'll be able to talk with them… otherwise you're on your own."

I certainly didn't know any Russian. I had just learned the basics of Italian! Now I had to learn Russian? I looked over at Edward askance and he smiled his crooked grin at me that had me melting into a puddle of goo.

Of course he then had to go and speak to me in a tone that sounded like he was propositioning me for something that I would do on a moment's notice, ""Не беспокойся, любовь. Я говорю русский язык. "

"Which means?" I asked in a voice that I hoped didn't sound as breathy as I thought it did.

"Don't worry, Love. I speak Russian." Edward whispered and kissed my cheek.

"Of course you do. Why not?" I asked completely unsurprised.

" 我发言的中国太。"Edward intoned lyrically.

"Let me guess… you know Chinese too." I droned.

"That's exactly what I said. You know Chinese?" My husband smiled in such a way that I knew he wasn't serious, and his crooked grin was back again.

"So chi multi lingue." _( " I speak many languages.") _ Edward's voice spoke quickly again and this time it was one I knew. His Italian was as flawless and sexy as I'd imagined… and it made me wonder again what it would be like for him to speak to me in such a passionate language while we were intimate.

"Mi sa effettivamente un po 'di quello." _( "I actually know a little of that one._" ) I spoke quickly back.

Edward's eyes shot to my own. "Lei mi sorprende sempre." _( "You always surprise me." )_

I very quickly whispered back to my love, "I hope I can keep it up then… because we've got a lot of time together coming up and I would hate to bore you." I felt the smile break out on my face and Edward was smiling too.

"I guess you consider me unimportant?" The old man was glaring at Edward and I, and I shook my head, embarrassed that we'd been rude to him. "Good, because I'm very dangerous," he snarled.

Edward drew me closer and seemed to consider the man for a second before letting me out of what I knew now was his "Mine, don't touch!" death grip. His fingers didn't leave the small of my back though.

I couldn't help but notice that the old man was the only person that was wearing what I thought of as an almost "Laurence of Arabia" flavored outfit. Every color he wore was muted and he wore a robe over his shirt that reached the floor. Not to mention the wrap he wore around his head.

"I am David. I see your heart. I see the color of your soul. I am here with them today so that I can see the ones that are possessed by the spirit of the serpent. I am here to find Lucifer." The old man continued to stare at Rosalie though, and despite what he'd said, I couldn't help thinking that he was a bit of a pervert.

Everyone was silent. No one seemed to breathe for a second. My family was in a state of shock. Fortunately in situations such as this we always had Jacob. His voice croaked out over the sound of other uneasy shuffles and I looked up to see that we had been joined by the rest of the pack. "Wait a minute!" Despite the fact that we were not "friends" the wolves were definitely on our 'side' of the road, it was like the double yellow line was a sort of invisible fence. "Whoa! Like… the devil? Like… the antichrist? What the heck are you talking about? Is this the end of the world?"

"We are talking about the true face of evil, and its attempt to strangle and destroy the world as we know it. Somewhere along the way… I have lost many of my children's souls to the path of oblivion. Obviously there are those amongst us that are purely dark and sinister. I have let all of my brood decide their own fate. I believe in the idea of free will. I wouldn't be here today if I didn't. If you desire to live in darkness you may walk that path. It is for God to judge good and evil… not I. I am a woman fashioned by God, not the deity himself," Lilith explained with a look of caring toward Jacob.

This was another thing I didn't understand. Why were Lillith, Cain, and the rest so comfortable with the wolves? I was under the impression that we were natural enemies, and yet Lillith seemed to harbor no ill feelings toward the albino woman that was with her. In fact, she even seemed to treat them with a little more care.

"So…" I ventured out loud. "Someone is being controlled by the Devil?" I asked incredulously. "I think that sounds like a cop out. You know… like the Devil made me do it?"

Carlisle seemed to agree with my statement and Edward looked annoyed. I couldn't tell if it was due to other thoughts or my words… and I didn't ask.

The old vampire continued, "Unfortunately I'm not speaking of possession. If that were the case we could dispose of the creature. Lucifer walks amongst us. He builds an army. The Volturi is confused and misinformed. They believe that some of their numbers are revolting against them. That is indeed the case, however it is much more complicated than that. They also believe that we come to remove them…"

Lillith shook her head and looked at the old one named David in a way that said she didn't want him to continue. She began to speak when it seemed that he wouldn't go on. "When I established the Volturi it was to create a form of order. Marcus, Caius, and Aro left Nod after receiving instructions and went back to live as part of the world. As the human world became a smaller place it became more and more important for us to hide the city. God asked for us to live inconspicuously. There was nothing left for us to do but create a governing body that would act as Judge and jury in our absence."

I contemplated that for a second, but it was Jasper who spoke. "How did you know that they wouldn't just take over?"

"An excellent question Jasper!" Cain gave a wolfish grin. "We didn't… and they did. It's been centuries since they even felt the need to correspond with us. Personally I would have their heads for it, but Lillith seems to think that they are still within their guidelines. You see… with their addiction to human blood dragging down their spirits they have become selfish monsters. I know they haven't forgotten us, and that they fear our return. No, more than that, they fear our wrath."

I looked up at Cain and realized with a start that he was right and that I'd been placed in danger for the sake of politics once again. I couldn't help voicing the illumination that I'd had. "They sent me because they wanted to protect themselves from you! They used me because I was what they considered innocent, and they figured that if you killed me you wouldn't hesitate to kill them…"

I really needed to sit down. Nothing should surprise me at this point about them, considering the sinister creatures of Italy were not the heads of the vampire world for nothing. They were cunning and cutthroat and yet…they had seemed to like me. They had seemed to care. They hadn't killed me when they very easily could have.

Had this been Aro's plot all along? I had seen into his mind. He didn't seem evil. Or maybe I felt that way because it was his perception? Who in their right mind walks around thinking about how evil they are? On top of that… why did Alice see me going with them if I KNOW they are so horrible? Nothing made any sense… and I felt like the world was crushing in on me. The trees all around the road were my bars, the cloudy sky my ceiling, and the endless road stretching out in front of me forcing me ever forward.

**EPOV:**

I watched as Bella began to fairly shake with emotion and I pulled her as close as I could to keep her aware that I was there…that I wouldn't let them take her life without a fight. Even the creatures before me would be nothing compared to my fury and rage if they were to actually hurt her.

"Edward…" Rosalie looked strained and yet she met my eyes and spoke with a serious tone in her voice. "We won't let anyone come between you. She was taken against her will to Volterra and changed. We won't let anyone hurt her further."

"Thank you Rosalie." I held Bella even closer. "So they intended to use Bella as a gauge to your reaction."

"It was a good concept. It just lacked some planning; which really isn't like them. They know who we are and what we're capable of, and yet, they decided to see if subterfuge would work. It makes me wonder how many of them might be beyond our reach. It makes me wonder if they aren't allied with Lucifer already." Cain seemed to like this idea. He seemed to want any excuse to dethrone the Volturi and sit in their place. Although I guessed that he was just bored and thought that the Volturi had more exciting lives.

"Edward…" My father looked over his shoulder. I understood that he wouldn't be continuing out loud. _'What is the ability of the little one? What does she do?'_

I shook my head and wished I could communicate back to Carlisle in the way that he spoke to me. Since Bella and I had been back I'd not heard a squeak out of the minds of the vampires from Nod. I thought that one of them, probably Lana, was capable of turning my ability off. Maybe it was the child. I could hear my siblings, the wolves, and I still couldn't hear Bella, but along with the usual frustration of that was the fact that I couldn't listen in on the thoughts of the group in front of us.

Maybe we should ask? What could it hurt? "Ask them." I whispered to my father with a shrug that I hoped showed that I didn't know.

"What does the kid do?" Jasper questioned, shocking almost everyone again as he spoke candidly and without showing deference.

"This is Myra, she is the vessel of the change. She takes what I have felt, and she keeps the memories and the feelings so that we can remind those who forget." Lillith said with pride while brushing her fingers through the little girl's rain soaked hair. I was startled. I had never heard of a power that directly complimented another.

"Does this happen often?" Carlisle asked before I could even voice any questions. "I know there are powers that work well together, but to be so completely symbiotic?"

Lillith walked forward and answered, "We can't be sure. We just know that the connection is hard to create and even more impossible to control."

I remembered what Alice had said earlier about the room that she and Bella had visited and wondered for the first time if their friendship had created a bond in their power. It made me a bit jealous to think that there was no unusual connection between Bella and I but the one that existed through love. That one was hopefully even stronger than the bond that she shared with the rest of my family.

"I don't get it." Emmett spoke. "She's a vessel? Like she holds it in? Everyone who's ever been changed… all of their suffering is in that tiny little girl?"

"Not every one…" Myra, the little girl looked at Bella and cocked her head to the side when she spoke. "I could not catalogue what Lilltih could not take away. Bella did not benefit from Lillith's power. She couldn't touch her mind enough to take the pain, so I can not remember her burden."

I looked down at my wife and I felt lost. There was a part of me that wanted to scream and tear at my hair. Bella had purposefully not told me enough about her change to know what it had truly been like for her. I had seen that she was stubbornly omitting things for my sensitivities. Her metamorphosis had not been as inconsequential as she'd had me believe. It had not been as I'd hoped, not only had she not been spared from the personal abuse that her convulsions had surely brought, but she had omitted much more than I'd imagined. She hadn't told me of her endless suffering, pain that I had just learned, was beyond what I had experienced. Perhaps since she had nothing to gauge her pain to…she just didn't know the difference.

I partially resented Lillith for not caring for my wife like she had all of us, if that were true. Bella had suffered fully where everyone else had been allowed a reprieve? Why? What had that been like? Had the flames been unbearable? Had the pain been damning? Oh God, what had they done to her? Why had she been allowed to suffer?

I'm sure the look of horror on my face told a million stories, because Esme was holding one of my shoulders. I felt a growl escape me. "I'm fine," I said in a clipped tone. "I'm fine," I growled again when my family didn't take their eyes off me.

"Edward… I'm here… so you can't get angry. I lived through it… well… sort of. So don't be mad about something we can't change. It isn't their fault remember… it's my strange brain." Bella whispered comfortingly to me and I shivered from her lips so tempting and cool by my ear. She seemed to recover from her shock over the betrayal by the Volturi at the sound of my growling, and immediately began to sooth me. She was more than I ever hoped for or deserved.

I immediately felt horrible about not being there for her and for not somehow helping her to take the pain.

"Everyone has a burden to bear Edward… perhaps; this is part of Bella's." The one called Priya spoke.

"I can't help but notice that you didn't say you didn't see her at all…but that you couldn't help her burden. That means that everything else worked?" Alice asked looking innocent but concentrating on what that might mean.

"Yes, I knew her as my child the moment that Aro took her. At first I wondered if she felt no pain, but soon it was apparent that I just didn't feel it," Lillith answered back.

"You're all about feelings around here aren't you?" The shape shifter was calling attention to itself.

"Indeed," David rasped out. "Your soul is as dark as his. Lillith, this one suffers the taint of Lucifer. He works for him alone, not for the Volturi."

Lillith seemed surprised, "Heinrich?"

"Is this true Heinrich? Do you live for the praise of the light bringer?" Cain questioned with a dark smile.

I couldn't help but wonder what the deep interest in my family was if this was all true? What interest would the Devil himself have with any of us other than our souls… that he already had in his possession? Or was it something completely coincidental?

"Your time on this earth is finished Lillith, his holy one, the keeper of the other half of your soul, bids you come to him and give in." The shape shifter, apparently a man named Heinrich, seemed to become more agitated as the seconds went by and he remained trapped.

"I'm sorry Heinrich, there isn't anything more that I can do for you. Goodbye." For a second the creature that still bore my wife's form before us struggled and we all watched in horror as he burned from the inside out. The screams ended as the fire claimed his voice, and in a moment he was no more than a purplish ash. "A true shame," the woman Lillith shook her head as she spoke.

Bella had buried her head in my shoulder and turned me away from the scene, but I had watched despite her efforts. I needed to know what we were up against, especially since they were blocking my power. Watching the shape of my wife burn in agony was disturbing and made me hold her even tighter.

"I don't get it… if he's the devil… why do you have to go to him?" Jacob asked from behind us as if completely undisturbed by the death that had just occurred. "How come he can't just come and get you? Don't you… like… work for him?"

--

**AN: There you go! Chapter 19. I'm really excited to see if you guys can put me over the top with the review thing, so I'll give you a peek at the next chapter if you review. After all… I shouldn't expect you to get nothing for something right? This is my favor after all.**

**Thank you as always to Cullenista, writer extraordinaire of "Blue Moon Over Manka's" and a wonderful woman, who is now my official Beta for this story… as well as all the others. I couldn't post without her. I wish I could say I was giving her more of a workout, but maybe I'll get more time to write soon. A girl can hope! Go vote for her story over at the "Twilight Awards" too. She's very talented!**

**That's all for now, but if you reviewed, check your email for the sneak peek, and thanks again.**


	20. Special Treatment

"Not at all, I expect Alicia to tell you everything soon enough

Escaping Sol

Chapter 20

Special Treatment

Ranma15177

AN: I'm pretty sure there are people out here that thing this is a symbol of the apocalypse. You can stop looking for the locust plague, I promise.

Chapter 20

Cullenista, my lovely beta and excellent writer of " Blue Moon Over Manka's" did the beta for this chapter again. I listened to you! : ) You'll see!

Thank you to everyone who dropped me a review…aren't you awesome? Yes!

I'm still nominated for stuff over at the "Twilight Awards" go vote! : P Please? The link is on my author page. Vote for Cullenista too!

EPOV:

"I don't get it…if he's the devil…why do you have to go to him?" Jacob asked from behind us as if completely undisturbed by the death that had just occurred. "How come he can't just come and get you? Don't you…like…work for him?"

We all stood on the road to the Cullen's burned down house, soaked to the skin from the rain awaiting an answer from Lillith.

"Not at all, I expect Alicia to tell you everything soon enough. For now, let's just say that he has taken on a form and that weakens him. It makes him real and for just a moment he becomes just as corporeal as you or I. There is more of course, for right now… let's say we can fight him on even ground as long as we can keep the innocent from getting hurt, " Lillith answered Jacob and the albino woman who was named Alicia spoke in hushed tones into Jacob's ear.

He seemed very distracted, although that could have been the fact that the woman "Alicia" standing next to him was unabashedly naked. She didn't seem to care, and it seemed to make everyone a little uncomfortable on Jacob's side. The rest of the pack didn't know where to put their eyes, and it was made even more awkward by the fact that she was so pale and unusual, which made them want to stare. Quil kept looking while "not looking," and it nearly made me laugh despite everything that was going on around us.

"How can we help you Lillith?" Carlisle asked the ancient woman before us. "I feel like we've all been brought together for a reason, and I believe that God works in mysterious ways…"

"You've got no idea." Cain whispered almost to himself.

"I'm glad that I could gain your help so quickly! Thank you. I won't forget this, I promise you!" Lillith smiled and clapped excitedly as she spoke. Everyone on their side seemed to lighten their guard in front of us. The wolves still paced nervously behind us, and my family continued to stand their ground.

"First, you should just go back to what you were doing. The Volturi are expecting you back soon, and you can't disappoint them. Once you are at the center of everything that's going on we can control the situation completely. They will expect things to go as planned, and I have no reason to hope that the two sides won't engage each other." Cain grumbled with a look that said he hoped they absolutely plowed into each other.

"Acutally," Alice broke in. "Jasper and I should really be going. We need to start our little diversion. Now that we don't have to look for Bella we can go back to making them nervous. It's going to be lots of fun!" Alice locked eyes with me for a second and I concentrated on her thoughts. _"With the wolves surrounding us I can't see anything in the future. Be safe Edward. If anything happens to us I expect you to protect Bella above anyone else. Take her away from here…as far as you can go…and never look back. If we're meant to meet again we will. I want you both to be happy. You deserve to know what peace feels like."_

"Thank you Alice, but I already do," I whispered as I kissed the hair on top of Bella's head.

Bella looked up at me and then to Alice. For a second I knew the quiet in my mind that meant Bella was using my gift and then just as suddenly it was back again. My wife nodded her head and left my embrace to hug her sister. "We'll see you again soon."

"So we're just going in there without any kind of plan?" Jasper looked between his wife and the group from the city of Nod. "How do you expect us to be of any use at all if we're in your way or if we don't do what you need us to?"

It was an excellent question, but my brother was an excellent tactician.

"Just protect each other. When the time comes we will all do our part. Keep the innocent safe," David rasped. This was the second time that someone had mentioned keeping someone innocent safe. How many of us were truly innocent? I didn't count myself as innocent… and then I looked behind me and saw the werewolves. Lillith seemed to give them special treatment. It must be them…they must be the innocent. Although they turned into wolves they could still be completely human given time and effort, and that must make them more pure…more innocent. Perhaps we couldn't kill Lucifer? Maybe it had to be one of them? That actually made some semblance of sense.

"We will be there when the two groups come for each other and no sooner, but we still have things to do. Alicia, come with me, we'll get you back to him before you know it." Lillith spoke to the Albino woman and immediately she became a wolf and left Jacob who seemed twitchy and agitated. In his mind I saw that he wanted to protect her, to save her above all others. He wanted to do very explicit things with her, and it was as if Bella had never been. Just like that, she was nothing to him. Nothing at all. Dear God… he'd imprinted.

--

BPOV

I watched as Jacob seemed to pace uncomfortably and pause from time to time to look at the white wolf that started off into the forest with the rest of the group that I had been certain, maybe not only twenty minutes ago, meant my death.

"We will see you all again soon. If we can all do our part, we can save the world from a horrible fate," Lillith spoke quietly and turned from us last, following behind Cain.

It seemed that everything with me was relative, so it didn't surprise me that we were all alive and together. Alice and Jasper said their goodbyes and went on their way. Esme watched long after they were gone, as if she could see them despite not being there.

"Bella, you have a really messed up life… did you know?" Jacob pointed out and then poked me in the ribs.

"Says the wolf boy who just fell for a woman that is probably seven times his age, congratulations by the way," my husband said with an audible smirk.

"I just like to one up people. Bella was marrying a dirty old man-corpse, so I had to find an ancient dignified woman. You know… it's like the difference between having a cold beer from the tap and finding an old one in Billy's fishing igloo cooler after a week in August." Jacob smirked back.

"Don't rise…" I whispered.

"Don't worry love. I'm hardly bothered by the barking of your unfaithful pet." Edward continued to taunt my friend.

"Who's a pet?" Jacob snarled.

"At least you're housebroken…" Edward continued to push, and I wasn't really sure why.

"EDWARD!" Esme admonished my husband and they both fell silent. Jacob even had the decency to look cowed. "We need to work together, and since I consider you just as innocent as any of them I intend to protect you all. One of the best ways to go about that is to keep you from tearing each other's heads off. Edward, apologize to Jacob."

I watched as Edward shook for a second with anger and then he spoke in a clear voice. "I'm sorry Jacob, I didn't intend for you to feel awkward or confused. I know this is hard on everyone. I was out of line."

"Sure, sure." Jacob stalked away, and I wondered why they were so completely angry with each other again. Hadn't they reached some kind of understanding? It had seemed that way before? Maybe this was something I would never understand like male machismo?

I decided to ask anyway in the calmest most dignified way possible. "What the heck was that?" I loudly whispered very quietly.

"Jacob imprinted," Edward spoke quietly back.

"I know, I kinda' got that impression when they came out of the woods together. I just didn't want to assume anything and I had more important things to do at the moment. Coincidentally, why does that bother you so much?" I silently continued. You would think he'd be ecstatic because Jacob wouldn't be thinking about me anymore.

Edward seemed to think for a second before pulling me close and whispering in fast words in my ear. "He isn't thinking about you, he isn't even considering you. It's like he's Romeo and you're Rosaline. He only has eyes for his Juliet and he's promised to look after you. How can I trust him now? How can I believe that he'll keep his head if Alicia is hurt or in danger? He'll run to her and leave you without any kind of protection. I can't trust him."

"Yes you can. He's my friend Edward. I know he's been more, and that at one time I may have felt the same…there isn't room for him in that part of my heart anymore. There isn't anything but you. I couldn't be happier that he's moved on and found something so deep and profound. I'm excited for him!" I frantically whispered.

Edward looked down and picked nonexistent lint off of his shirt. "I'm not concerned for his passions for you… now… it's the opposite." Saying the words seemed to cost him something and I was embarrassed at the implication that he would use Jacob's feelings for me in such a manipulative way.

I tried to reroute Edward's embarrassment. "Don't you think Jacob feels the same way that you do? Don't you think he wonders if we'll stand together with his brothers? He's probably thinking the same thing about us. He's wondering if we'll sacrifice ourselves for them."

"Indeed," Carlisle spoke over our shoulder. "We have to earn each other's trust, and at this point I feel like that involves not getting into boyish brawls that could lead to the deterioration of our already tenuous détente."

"Come back Rose! What did I do?" Emmett was calling after the purposeful walking form of Rosalie who had stopped right next to us and was almost glaring daggers at our father. Carlisle looked at Rosalie and seemed to wither a bit at her wrathful gaze.

"WHAT IF… HOW DO WE KNOW…" The first statements that Rosalie made were so loud the forest seemed to clear. When she continued it was an acid whisper. "What are the chances?"

I was completely lost. So was Emmett. Carlisle seemed to think very carefully and Edward took Rosalie's shoulders. "Don't do this to yourself. It's a waste of time. Don't give his ghost the satisfaction Rosalie. You've been allowing him to hurt you for far too long."

Emmett froze completely and seemed to wither a bit. Whatever the situation was…it caused my brother pain. "Rose… does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! What if… what if I'm like her? What if I'm more than cursed? What if I'm tainted?" Her hands went to her stomach and the fire in her eyes was consumed in fear. She crumpled to the ground clutching her stomach. "What if…"

Comprehension was achieved. I suddenly understood all of the fear and the anger and the focus that Rosalie had shown on Lana. She was afraid that her awful ex or one of his friends had impregnated her and that she was carrying around some kind of cursed zygote. Part of me wanted to hug her and tell her it was alright… the other part couldn't understand what the difference was. Emmett would probably love her if she was like Lana. The only difference it made would be to Rosalie.

I watched her sob tearlessly and Edward did something I'd never seen before. He knelt next to Rosalie and hugged her. He really hugged her, placing his forehead against hers as if to say: "I know what you're thinking," because he did. My love spoke in quiet soft words. "You already put these demons to rest, you destroyed them with your own two hands. I remember. I was there. You aren't tainted Rosalie. Don't push your husband away for the sake of a monster. He and his friends could never have created anything of worth, so nothing they did to you would have born fruit. Do you understand?"

Rosalie looked up at Edward and she really seemed to believe him. It was illogical, but it really didn't have to be true…it just had to help. Rosalie's voice was a watery quiet whisper. "You really think so?"

"Rose…" Emmett held out his hand. "It's time to let it go sweetheart. Let me protect you from that fear." It was sweet to see them interact… and then Emmett continued, "There isn't anything in you that I haven't put there for the past fifty years." Everyone else coughed uncomfortably and the two of them laughed and walked away to talk.

"Five minutes. You don't have time to do anything but talk." Edward growled. I guessed that meant that they had less innocent intentions than talk.

I just stood there for a few seconds and finally I looked up at Edward and with a grimace after I took a deep unnecessary breath, I spoke, "Seriously… I want someone to squeegee that conversation right out of my head. I want to pretend it never happened. That's going to be the hardest thing about having perfect recall, that moment right there."

Carlisle snorted out a laugh that he turned into a cough and a throat clearing, which no one believed because he was a vampire and none of us needed to do that either. It didn't stop my new father from trying to defend the actions of my siblings. "You know, those two are in a commendable relationship. They take care of each other's needs and desires, but they are indispensable members of our family in that they care deeply for everyone else too. You haven't gotten to really experience how dedicated Rosalie is because she was so adamantly against you losing your humanity. Now that she feels like your equal she'll come out of her shell a bit more."

I nodded and blinked. I still couldn't get rid of it.

"I'd rather go back to the comment you made about the brain squeegee." Edward was biting his lip in a manner that suggested that he was trying desperately not to smile. "Let me get this straight. You've experienced the most horrible pain on the planet… beyond anything that any one of us has been through… and you want to forget the pass Emmett just made at Rosalie."

"You heard me, squeegee." I stuck out my tongue at him after my whispered comment and couldn't help laughing.

"Bella… you're so absurd." Edward finally broke into his crooked grin.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment." I turned on my heel and was about to walk over to the wolves to see what our next move would be when I tripped over my own foot and went down.

Edward was literally too stunned to catch me. I saw his eyes widen and Carlisle quickly avoided eye contact although I suspected that he was trying to save my feelings by not laughing out loud. The wolf people of La Push… were nowhere near so kind. They burst into laughter.

"Oh my GOD! Felix wasn't kidding! Did you see that?" Jacob was walking toward me with his hand outstretched and I took it and quickly got to my feet. My vampire family was completely silent and unmoving… stunned. Apparently they'd never seen a vampire trip over its own feet.

"Bella, are you sure you're a vampire? As a rule… they don't really do that." The one called Quil patted me on the back.

"Did I miss it? I missed it? I missed it didn't I?" Emmett was back. I think he ran back when he heard the laughter, he never wanted to miss anything that ended in laughter.

"Yes, Emmett. You missed me making myself into face plant statuary. Thank you everyone for your confidence building laughter at my expense. I'll remember it later when you're in trouble," I bit out in mock anger.

Edward had a very different reaction to my self-induced moment of embarrassment. He pulled me into a fierce hug and he seemed to be fairly shaking with emotion. "I worried… I'm sorry Bella. I admit it. I worried that you wouldn't be yourself anymore. Despite what I said and despite me saying that everything was going to be the same inside of your heart, mind, and body… I worried. I'm so completely relieved that you are every bit of yourself; you didn't leave yourself behind when they took you from me. I love you, Isabella. I love you so much."

"Edward…" It was the first time he'd voiced my fears. That I would be too different for him to love me, or that I wouldn't love him somehow. I was overjoyed to know that he felt like me. Edward loved the aspects of me that followed me into this new life, but he also loved the parts of me that were new and unbreakable.

"Could you do it again?" Emmett asked from over Edward's shoulder. "Please?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed a response. "Not on your life."

--

EPOV:

I stood there with my love in my arms almost expecting to hear her heartbeat and feel the rush of venom in my mouth that signified that Bella was in my arms again… but neither came. When we discussed the various aspects of her future I always wondered if I would miss those things. In short, I didn't. I loved feeling completely unfettered and unbound by the careful way I had to hold my Bella before. Now she was mine in every way that mattered and I didn't have to fear for her.

"You guys are going to be ready to get out of here right?" It was Rosalie, apparently she'd gotten over her fear just in time to rib me. "We all have things to do Edward, and I'm pretty sure my list didn't include watching you cuddle your wife."

"Children… behave," Esme admonished us and I kept my glare in check from Rosalie.

"So we're continuing to the field as scheduled… but what about the plan? How can we safely place Bella at the front of all of this madness? I can't imagine what trouble we would all get into. Not that I don't trust you… but it isn't safe." Carlisle was thinking out loud, his words weren't far behind each thought.

"I'm not leaving my daughter out there by herself Carlisle." Esme was putting her foot down, and although I knew that he was still in control of the family in every way, he would bow to Esme's will on behalf of her children if he could find a way. My father was not one to question the determination of his wife where her family was concerned.

I looked to Bella beside me and wondered what she thought of all of this. The first few days of her new life had been confusing, painful, and full of intrigue. It wasn't at all like we'd planned. I was going to wrap her in comfort and silence. I was going to lie beside her as the horror passed through her and altered her body and spirit. I was going to give in to her in as many ways as I could before that.

We had been horribly wrong about one thing though. Sex would have been an incredible mistake if we'd tried. I had no control when I'd been truly intimate with her, as I had stood in the shower. No ability to think, or really do anything but feel her all around me. We were insane to believe that I could withstand her allure. Frankly it was downright crazy for us to have ever considered anything but waiting. I wanted to be wrong about our inability to have intimate relations so much we planned it out like a battle. From start to stop, every second was choreographed…but it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. I would have been lost from the first moment of contact; truly I had lost this particular battle before we had begun to plan.

My mind had just begun to wander when I heard Bella speak, "I'm going to have to be exactly where the shape shifter was supposed to be if we're going to pull any of this off."

"Absolutely not." I hoped my voice contained every bit of the finality that I intended it to.

"Edward…" Bella looked at me in exasperation that was matched in her tone.

"No, there is no way I'm going to allow this." I really had no intention of ever allowing it. If Alice hadn't had her vision of the shape shifter being an imposter I would have dragged off Esme or Carlisle, as the case may be, from the fore of the battle… it didn't matter. I had plans of my own. Now though, with all of the complications, and perhaps the safety of the entire family at stake there was no way I was going to let this go on. My Bella would not stand at the front of a pitched battle. Her instincts as a newborn were much too strong. She would get wrapped up in the fight and forget herself, and she would be harmed or killed.

"Carlisle?" I couldn't believe she was appealing to our father. He wouldn't dare go against us both. Esme didn't want this either.

"I'm sorry…" I expected that comment to be directed at my wife. Instead Carlisle was looking at me. "Edward, I'm sorry. We're going to have to continue with the plan and try to keep each other safe. We will find a way to make this work. If what Lillith has said is true there are no sides anymore. There is no way to be sure who is fighting for the sake of darkness and who isn't. I'm sorry… there is no safe place. The safest place will be at each other's sides. The only way to assure that is to take the middle ground and hold that space. We will have to create our own unified front… our own side."

"That's the best strategy we have, and I like it better than actually working with those creepy Italian guys." Jacob interjected.

"Hey… we were working for the mob!" Embry exclaimed with a smile. "The vampire mafia!"

We all heard a small giggle and a snort and everyone turned to look at…Leah Clearwater, who was quick to cover her mouth and glare before letting out a muffled "what?"

"I'm still not comfortable with you being out there by yourself." We needed to focus, and everyone seemed to be in the mood to joke and laugh. I knew it was the tension that was breaking everyone's calm… but I couldn't join them… not when Bella was in danger.

"I won't be by myself. I will have Emmett on one side… and… Felix…" Bella seemed to think for a second. "What if Felix is working with the other side? How can we be sure we can trust him…"

"I've told all of you this is insanity," I interjected.

"No… I just need to focus on Felix… and that leaves Emmett to…" My wife was thinking out loud, probably for my benefit.

"No, I don't like that at all. That leaves Emmett to focus on the first wave of God knows what," Rosalie argued. "If you want me to agree with this we have to find a way to let you focus on your job, which is stopping the powers of the army in front of you."

"Yeah, but not anymore right… because we don't know who is who?" Jacob intoned.

"Yes, and if Bella takes their powers it becomes obvious that she's there." Carlisle added.

"So, you expect my wife to stand at the head of an army and not defend herself?" The snarl that accompanied my shouted words had everyone taking a step back.

"Calm down Edward. Carlisle would never suggest such a thing!" Esme defended my father as I attempted to do just as my mother figure instructed.

"No…maybe he's right…." Bella looked terrified… and I was angry that she would consider it.

"We need Jasper, I'm not sure what to do next. Bella is right, we can't tip our hand too early. If we do it will cause the army behind us to act against us. We need some kind of strategy." Carlisle placed his hand to the bridge of his nose in thought… hopefully garnering the strategy that we needed.

I felt high strung, like a coil that was at the breaking point, so I could be excused from my growl when Jasper walked out of the tree line surprising us with his presence.

"Ask and ye' shall receive. Alice seemed to think you needed me here more than she needed me there." My blonde brother spoke with a smile.

"Excellent…Really I'm not entirely sure why we let you go before figuring this out in the first place." I countered. His thoughts had been with Alice…and they still were…but now they were also frantically trying to put together some kind of strategy for all of us.

Carlisle ran his hand through his hair and continued, "We were standing around waiting for inspiration to strike us, but the correct insight just seemed to allude us completely."

"Well…what if we…" Jasper asked slowly, thinking as he went and I grasped the concept before he could word it.

"It's a good idea!" I interrupted.

"Well thanks, but everyone needs to hear it before they can agree to it," Jasper rolled his eyes at me and I reined in the desire to snarl. My brother was trying to help, and I was extremely happy that he had come back. Alice must have seen us struggling.

"Please, continue," Esme prompted.

"What if they started a distraction that caused a little chaos." Jasper pointed to the wolves. "They could force their way through and knock into us. It would be a convenient way to get us all together…"

Jacob nodded his head and picked up from Jasper's conversation, "The Volturi don't know what Lillith's wolves look like. Alicia told me that she's been in Nod since sixteen twelve. They don't know anything beyond the fact that she's an albino, and Leah is silver. In the right light she looks kind of white. She could stay back and we could knock into you guys and carry you back toward her.

Jasper smiled in a calculating way and seemed to agree. "The Volturi will think that Lillith is attacking and they won't get involved because we aren't a concern for them. That puts you with us and out of the way." Jasper concluded.

"That's a little complicated isn't it?" Rosalie questioned. "I mean, it has its good points, but if it fails we're all going to be in trouble, especially if the other guys are after her pack of wolves. What if that pulls all of the concentration from both sides onto them?"

"We were made for this." Leah argued. "I know that we haven't had a lot of time to discover how dangerous we can be, but I assure you that we're just as dangerous as you. I will fight until my heart stops. I won't let lifeless creatures recreate the world. I won't fail ever again."

Leah was thinking about Sam… remembering her promise to Emily. She felt responsible for his loss despite everything. I knew that she meant well, but this was an army.

"There are going to be four hundred or more of us on that field. Sam wouldn't want you to throw away your life." I looked into Leah's eyes as I spoke, hoping that she understood that I hadn't said anything to purposefully hurt her.

"It's the best we have. At least it gives us the opportunity to regroup before things start to roll down hill. Bella's eventually going to have to use her power. If she doesn't use it we're going to get stomped anyway. I figure we have a least a few minutes before they figure it out, and in that time we can decide weather or not to bail on the whole thing. I don't think Alicia and her group would leave us to die… but…" Jacob argued, and for a second the words choked his throat.

"We… don't… we can't trust them until we're sure about these other vampires. I can't stop loving her… but I also don't know what her loyalties are. I have a greater purpose than my uncontrollable magical hormones. I can't let my people down… or Sam. He sensed this… this evil. I did too, but I didn't want to be responsible for it, and now I don't have any choice. Even if we have to re-group we're going to have to fight again. It's probably better to fight now and get this over with. With or without you on that field we're going… this has to stop before it can get worse. We've already suffered our losses, and it's scary to think that there will be more. " Jacob looked nervous and conflicted. He didn't want to do anything right now but to solidify this strange new relationship. He was her Jacob… and to say such negative things about her was straining every bit of his control. It angered him… imprinting was a very confusing thing.

The other wolves were thinking about their families, their friends, and how they wanted to make them safe. I knew exactly how they felt, but I had to go with my family… my love… into this battle.

"I won't order any of you to go with me though…" Jacob started.

Embry interrupted, "You might as well. We're in." Everyone seemed to be of one mind, and there was back slapping and a few nods of excitement.

"We're going to have to hold out hope that all of them will be trustworthy." Jasper agreed. "It puts things in a tenable position, but it's the best… no… the most workable plan we can probably have at this point. I hate having so many unknowns… trusting unknown vampires seems wrong somehow… "

Carlisle took Jasper's shoulder in his hand. "I have confidence that we're doing the right thing. I don't know why I trust her…but I do remember her there with me. The second I saw her I knew that she was there with me in the beginning as the force of light in the darkness. I won't let the darkness that I have fought against every day of this life follow me into oblivion. I have to know that I did my best," Carlisle spoke quietly, but we all heard him. "Even if I fail… even if you were right all along Edward. I have to try to be a better man. I won't stand by and let anyone hurt all of you, but I won't make you go with me. Edward, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Bella… I can't tell you all how much having you in my life has meant."

"Every second of every day was made better by your presence. I have never regretted a single moment of our lives. Thank you for being my family, but if any of you want to go now I won't question it." My father looked over at Esme and held her hand. "I can't think of any people I would want with me more. I can't think of better people… if this were the end… to spend that time with." Carlisle looked up at the wolves with us and smiled. "Everything seems too turbulent, but I hope that we will find ourselves together like this in the end… together."

"Thank you." Jacob and Leah looked at each other for a second and Jacob concluded, "That's exactly what we expect."

"We're always with you Carlisle. You know that," Esme concluded and spoke for us. She was right. He had given us this second life, and for better or worse I would go with him. Bella was my life, Carlisle was my closest friend and family. We would all go together.

"Let's get this show on the road then; I'd like to be done with all of this nonsense before tomorrow afternoon. The sci-fi network is doing a marathon of Ghost Hunters." Emmett started walking away from us toward the burned out house leading Rosalie behind him. "It's a really good thing I got the warrantee on the television Rose, but I'm thinking they are going to think we're breaking these things on purpose. Maybe we should get a room in Seattle; I think the downtown JW Marriott has Sci-Fi…"

"Did you know you were a nerd?" Jasper walked quickly so that he could catch up to his huge brother. "Like seriously…where are you hiding your Dungeons and Dragons stuff? How did Posh Spice and Ed Grimly end up married?"

Bella let out a small choked giggle…she looked petrified and humored all at the same time. I assumed that Jasper was helping her to feel less stressed out after he noticed her terror.

We stood there for only a second before falling in behind Emmett, Rose, and Jasper. Despite us being together there was no feeling of certainty, only solidarity. Confidence in the rightness of what we were doing was all we had. The men behind us became wolves and walked beside us. Their minds were buzzing with thoughts and questions.

Bella, my life, spoke in my ear. "We're going to be together… no matter what happens… I'm never leaving your side again." It was a solemn promise. I could see in her eyes that she meant it, but what were the chances that we could affect our own destiny?

I kissed her cheek and whispered back, "Forever Bella… I promised you forever."


	21. Lessons in Hyperbole

As we neared the turn off from the street onto the winding drive of the Cullen estate I felt the tension of what was about to happen shooting through my body

Escaping Sol

Chapter 21

Lessons in Hyperbole

Ranma15177

AN: Now you may begin watching for locust plagues.

As we neared the turn off from the street onto the winding drive of the Cullen estate I felt the tension of what was about to happen shooting through my body. More than that… I felt all of the vampires in front of me. I closed my eyes and tried to sort myself out. The delicate balance between control and out of control seemed to be thinner the closer I got.

There were so many…more than there were before. I realized right away that Alice must have come full circle and brought the other Volturi with her. I shuddered with the thought that I might have another episode like the one with the boy. The closer I got the more it seemed that I had to comprehend of myself.

Each second that we walked I got in a little deeper. The wind was howling in the trees, and the rain was now drenching us in an almost torrential way. It felt like an ominous warning. Find shelter…before the storm comes for you. I took a shaky step…I hadn't meant to stumble…and Edward held my arm and looked at me with concern.

"Love?" Edward's question seemed to hold so many questions.

"I'm fine… there are just so many!" I complained in a whisper. Jacob made a small whining noise in his throat and I looked down at him.

"He wants to know if you can figure out how many there are…" Edward filled in.

I shook my head. "I don't really know. It doesn't work like that. I can only tell you what the ability does and how it works for me, but… I've never tried something that specific before. Maybe I can… " I trailed off and bit my lip as a small wave of confusion seemed to come crashing in around me with the attempt to number my catalogue. I felt bone spurs ripping through my back and pointed jagged teeth filled my mouth. The claws were back again. I felt my mind tumbling away from reality.

"Carlisle!" Edward was frantic, and I couldn't blame him. I needed to be calm though, and he wasn't really helping. Horrible sounds seemed to come from my throat without my permission.

"Oh. Goodness. Bella! Carlisle, do something." Esme had dropped down beside me as Edward lowered my now completely unpredictable body to the ground.

"Crap!" Emmett was nearby, and I heard the muffled curse and a crunching noise that may have been him knocking over a mailbox.

"Oh! Emmett! Bella stop!" Rosalie seemed concerned and annoyed all at the same time.

"Bella!" Jasper seemed to be uneasy. "Let me get my hands on my power and I can probably make that stop. Come on, girl!" I felt a hand sweep across what I somehow knew was still part of me… my face?

"It HURTS!" I couldn't help the useless venom tears that seemed to well up. "I can't do this! Too many! It's just too much!"

I knew I had to be thrashing, although I couldn't really come to terms with myself enough to free my body from such a horrible thrall.

"Bella! Concentrate on my voice! Remember Jasper?" I heard a voice and knew it was Alice's husband, my Edward's brother. "You're going to destroy every chance of this working if you don't stop right now! Come on! Give it back Bella! NOW!"

"I'M TRYING!" I choked on the words as I tried desperately to find Jasper amongst all the people that I "might" be at the moment. Everyone must have been feeling the same panic that I was, because it felt like a painful loop. The feelings coming back at me were almost worse than the ones I was creating. The pain made my back arch and I heard Edward give a small defeated whimper, his voice conveying what I could not of my fear and desolation.

Carlisle must have been there, because I heard his voice next. It was not calm like I was used to, but filled with panic from my butchery of Jaspers power. "Edward… for the love of GOD! Distract her!"

I heard him beginning to hum a tune that I knew was as much a part of me as he was. The first melodic sounds were strained, but as he continued I became more relaxed and the music seemed to fill my heart.

Jasper became clearer to me inside the catalogue. I immediately let go of it and felt my anxiety drain away, as I seemed to come back to myself and the control came back a bit. I opened my eyes to the pouring rain, and the people standing over me filled my vision.

I watched as Jasper seemed to focus even further on me and I felt peace and love like a blanket covering me in fidelity.

It made it easier to hold the power at bay. I felt like I had slowly returned to my body from somewhere far away and I felt the horror on the outside sink away just as surely as the horror from within.

"Excellently done Jasper," Carlisle praised.

I laid there for a second trying to completely marshal myself. I heard a distinct whining noise and knew it was Jacob. I let one power ease itself through all the others and embraced Edward's gift in my heart. I concentrated on the red wolf next to me and heard his terrified thoughts. "… if she's broken. It's my fault! She wouldn't have tried anything if I hadn't… Oh, she looked like she was in so much pain! Bella I'm sorry!"

"Jacob…stop." I heard my voice and it sounded a bit gravelly, like I'd just woken up. "I thought it would be okay, I don't know enough about this stupid power of mine to be useful. Everything I do is trial and error. It's like I'm starting over from Kindergarten… but I have to pass a college final. Oh…what if that happens when we're out there? Edward… promise me that you'll defend yourself if I go into some kind of coma!"

"It's not going to happen again." Jasper threaded his hand into my hair. "Bella, I'm going to stay as focused on you as possible, so do me a favor and make sure that we've all got what we need to protect each other." I knew, in a way, that Jasper was referring to Alice. Especially with the results of the other mistake I'd made even from so far away. I had nearly been the death of my most beloved vampire sister Alice due to the negligence of my ability.

"See?" Esme said in a light tone and brushed her hand against my cheek. "We are a seamless team Bella. You don't have anything to fear. We'll all protect each other!"

I did see, but Jasper had a finger to the pulse of the problem. It wouldn't make a difference how skilled they were if I ruined it. If Emmett lost all of his strength and was brought to his knees…if Edward lost the ability to read his opponent… if Alice lost the sight she needed to dance out of their reach… I would be the death of them.

"You've ruined your clothes…" Edward fingered the shredded bits of my shirt.

"I'm getting used to it." I lamented. "I just hope Julian and Louis are on the good side… because if they're not I'm going to be killed by the fashion police."

"Wow…you looked just like a monster from one of the "Evil Dead" films for a second there, Bella." Emmett was casually leaning on the drenched frame of his wife and smiling like an idiot. "Maybe we should just let you go out there and scare everyone away!"

I heard Edward growl, and Rosalie laugh. I was embarrassed to think that I was so hideous in front of a woman whose power was to be pretty. Why couldn't I have accessed that?

"What? Did you not see those spikes?" Emmett continued.

"That's enough Emmett," Esme chided.

"How much of that is controllable?" Carlisle interrupted.

"I don't know…" I meekly answered.

"Now isn't the moment to find out!" My husband interrupted. "Carlisle…this is dangerous. I was fairly sure before, but now I'm certain. She can't go out there like that. We can't..."

"Edward's right!" Alice came crashing through the undergrowth. "We can't go out there as we had planned. The Volturi are aware that something other than what they have designed has happened. We won't be able to walk amongst them without them thinking that we're on the wrong side. We were too late coming back… Jasper wasn't with me…and then everyone lost their mojo all at once, so they suspected foul play. I only got away because… well… I'm me."

Jasper reached out for Alice and drew her close. "You said it was safe."

"I lied." Alice closed her eyes and whispered back.

"You're killing me woman." Jasper pulled her soaking head to his body and tucked his chin down next to her ear. "From here on out you're staying by my side…ya' hear me?"

I could detect a fair amount of a Texas drawl coming from Jasper's voice. He was asserting himself over my pixie sister. I'd never really paid much attention to the way Jasper was with Alice, but I knew that this was the aspect of him that was the dominant male in their relationship. I could see her bending to his will in a way that said she was his.

Despite her very passive stance and voice Alice's words were not compliant. "I'll do what needs to be done, no more, no less. At the end though…I'll do whatever it takes to be with you."

The words were enough to placate him into a lighter rumbling growl.

"Well…I assume that means the old plan is scrapped. What's plan B?" Emmett asked with a serious look in his eyes that told me we were now officially in very real, very imminent danger. I shivered despite not feeling the cold rain that fell all around me.

--

EPOV:

Bella was lying in the rain soaked street still and I lifted her into my arms and stood. She still seemed so fragile somehow. In spite of all of the things I'd seen her do, and all of the power she had at her disposal, she was delicate in my eyes.

"I really hadn't gotten that far into the moment," Jasper admitted, and his mind really was furiously working over the details.

Jacob let out a small growl and a few huffs that I knew he intended to call attention to himself. I spoke for him again as I'd done for Sam in an equally stressful planning session. Now though, we stood together in the rain soaked space, there was very little distance between us and them. "Jacob wants to know if they have already started fighting… actually… that's a good question. I don't think they have, I don't hear that kind of thought."

"Not exactly… Jane and Alec are waiting for their entire group to amass. Unfortunately… that includes a few of the left over covens from the south," Alice stated. "They are about… four hundred strong."

"Please tell me that you're just saying that as a lesson in hyperbole." Carlisle's voice sounded strained.

"No…I'm sorry. That's what was behind me." Alice shook her head and seemed to smile a bit. "A few of them are fresh recruits though. I think they probably just took a bunch of unsuspecting people and turned them this week. They are confused, and fighting each other. On the other hand…all they need to do is be set free on what's in front of them and get lucky."

"Great, we're back to us versus them and luck. That's just great." Rosalie chided Alice. "Thanks for all the help, wise mystic!"

"Oh, the same to you, that helps! Sarcasm is the missing key! Thanks, Rose." Alice glared back. "I'm sure you could always be…pretty at them!"

Esme got between the two women and bared her teeth at them both while snarling. "Hold together girls… we need to be thinking and planning. In-fighting is not going to help at this point! I won't see any of you hurt!"

I tried to focus on Jasper's thoughts, on Carlisle's musings, and on Jacob's errant quandaries.

"We just need to go out there and do what we were going to in the first place…you know…without the stuff in the beginning." Bella suggested in a quiet voice. "We aren't on either side…so…what does it matter?"

"The only problem with that is that we won't know when it will be safe to engage. I suggest that if we use that theory, we'll have to have a firm line that we can't break. The second we're all separated is when we'll fall," Jasper concluded with a dark sigh.

"So we'll have to do something they won't expect." Alice suggested.

"My love, you're brilliant!" Jasper spun his wife in a tight circle and beamed at all of us including the wolves, who were ready and willing to start the fight. I smiled back, knowing that this was a good suggestion.

"We'll stagger the line. Each of us will be standing next to a wolf and hold that position. We'll keep bringing fresh fighters into the fore and if anyone should fall the next person would take up their place." Jasper suggested.

Bella seemed to like this idea better than the one that included getting separated and looked to me hopefully. I nodded and looked to Carlisle.

"As long as we can keep the line fortified we will be able to fight them as equally as possible," Jasper assured my father figure. "Also… it will ensure that less of the pack will be hurt. If they can get their injured off the field faster it should result in fewer casualties."

"Very well… when will we know…?" Carlisle began to ask _'when will we know when to attack,'_ but suddenly Bella was literally jumping out of my arms and running away from us at an inhuman speed.

"Wait!" Alice called after my wife to no avail. I joined her in her mad dash through the forest and I heard my family and the pack coming after us.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I cried desperate to stop her. "Stop! PLEASE STOP!" My voice cried out and I could hear the horror in my own tones. She would die out there alone!

I threw myself at her in a last vain attempt to curb her latest effort at what could only be another attempt to protect us. I let a pained shout come to my lips as I missed her and watched as Jacob shot forward around me and slammed into my wife's body.

She flailed helplessly and called out to me in a strained voice. "Make it stop! Edward… I can't stop!" Bella was fighting with Jacob to make a bid for her freedom.

'_Edward!'_ Jacob's mind was frantic, _'come get her, I can't hold her! EMBRY!' _More wolves and thankfully Emmett came barreling through the woods. I sprung to my feet and joined Jacob. The wolves were piled on top of each other. I was surprised at Bella's seemingly endless newborn strength. As suddenly as she had started to run… she stopped moving.

"Isabella…" My voice was shaky and tinged with disappointment. I really had thought we were done with all of the self sacrifice nonsense. I thought she understood. I could hear her sobbing tearlessly from under the dog-pile, taking deep unnecessary breaths.

I nodded my head and they all got up. Jacob had a small amount of blood trickling from his nose and looked cross with her as well, his thoughts mirrored my own. Emmett was hoisting her up by her shoulders and locking her arms in place at the same time. He didn't let go yet. "Edward! I told you… something took hold of me and made me run. I couldn't stop, like I was some mindless puppet."

"Cain…" The name was like acid on my lips. He must have decided it was time for us to make an appearance. "We offered our support! How dare they force you!"

"Maybe he wasn't going to make her go all the way?" Emmett questioned. "Maybe they were just getting our attention?"

"They have my attention…" Bella's droll response seemed partially true though. She looked extremely weary to be let go.

I didn't know what to say to the concept of Emmett's suggestion. I still couldn't hear their thoughts. Although the army before me was buzzing with deliberation, and if my wife had been hurt in their quest to get my attention I would have been happy to tear them to pieces.

I opened my arms and Bella was in them in less than a second. Her eyes closed and she fairly shook with what could only have been fear. "Edward… I'm sorry."

"Only apologize for the things you do on your own, Love." I whispered into her hair.

"I'm still…" Bella trailed off. Her next words were so quiet I barely heard them. "I'm still so weak."

I shook my head and placed my chin over her head keeping her as close as I could. "You've been a lot of things to me Bella, but weak was never on the list. You are the strongest person I know. Until you came to me, I was dead inside. I am the one who was weak. I was the one without. Besides… you have done in three days what it took me thirty years to accomplish."

Her muffled voice vibrated against my chest in the most lovely way. "What?"

"You aren't freaking out." I held her at arms length and smiled.

"Yes I am… I'm just doing it very quietly." My wife gave a strained smile back.

Everyone filed into the small space, and I looked up at Carlisle.

"I guess this is their version of asking us to start moving forward. Bella was being controlled. At this point we have to assume it was the vampires from Nod." I bit the last out through clenched teeth.

"I suppose that now is as good a time as any." Carlisle spoke softly. I could see in his thoughts that he was afraid for us. He didn't want to see any of us hurt, and after this display of Cain's control he was concerned that we could be hurt by them for the sake of their own goals. Two houses…divided in enmity.

Looking back at the horrible time just before our separation I remembered watching Romeo and Juliet with a more breakable Bella. I had said that Jacob was like Romeo, ignoring Bella in his lust like Rosaline… but I was feeling more and more like the tragic lover in one respect…I had only been married a few hours and there was a chance that I would never see my wife alive again, and in that case, like Romeo, I would seek out my own destruction.

--

BPOV:

I clutched tightly to Edward's hand as we began to move toward the place where the house once stood. I felt fear licking through me like a fire. I didn't want these people… the members of my family… and my greatest friends… to be hurt.

Our priorities had changed so vastly from the time we'd arrived. Now we were standing against more than the insanity of a group of unconventional vampires. No, that was almost welcome considering. Now we were fighting against ancient evil for the sake of everyone. If we failed… I tried not to think of my family dead and lost to the flames of hell, but that was exactly where we would go. I was pretty sure of that now.

Jasper put out his hand and ran ahead stopping us to scout the "perfect point of insertion." That sounded a bit dirty minded to me, but I somehow held back the laughter amid my turbulent emotions. Emmett immediately put his hand over his mouth and turned around. The Cullen family, as well as the wolves, were running silent now.

It was strangely silent in the field in front of us. Edward stiffened and his lips curled back over his teeth as he let out a small growl that I knew was excitement, and we were engulfed in a wall of sound. Screeching, growling, snarling, and hissing came from everywhere around me. I expected to be filled with fear… but instead I felt exhilaration.

I looked next to me and Alice was smiling almost identically to Edward, Rosalie was whispering into Emmett's ear and whatever she was saying had him grinning like Christmas came early. Carlisle and Esme were staring into each other's eyes. Communicating in their own way without words in the way that married couples did.

I was surprised to feel the excitement ramping up inside of me. I felt myself crouch down and a vicious growl rose in my chest, meanwhile I felt it harder and harder to concentrate on keeping the other abilities from bubbling up inside me.

"Shhh…love. Don't lose yourself in it. It's so easy to completely lose touch with yourself, but it will be worse in your newborn state. Shhh." Edward's hands stroked my hair in a way that I'm sure was meant to be calming. Truly it wasn't working at all.

"Now you know why Edward didn't want you out there." Jasper bounded back with nervous excitement and he closed his eyes and looked to concentrate very hard. Edward brought my face up into his hands and kissed me soundly as Jasper filled me with a sense of calm. In that moment I understood how truly powerful my new brother was. He fought against his nature everyday, this feeling… and his bloodlust… and won. Well, at least ninety eight percent of the time, which is an excellent ratio for a guy who has to experience the feelings of others.

I tried to wrap myself in Jasper's calm. The sounds of battle bringing more feelings of new exhilaration, an animalistic pull and I noticed now that I could feel the almost imperceptible twinge of the individual powers being used. As if they were a synapse of my own higher functions. Words escaped me as I stood, trying to feel the calm. "I feel them… all of them."

I was shaking…from fear? On some level I knew I should be afraid, but there wasn't any perceptible fear. After a second I realized that it was aggression. I'd never felt such a desire to fight before, never physically.

"Follow me. There's a great spot that's to the right of the garage. It's perfect for us because we'll have a building and the Sol Duc behind us. If we have to get out we'll be able to use the water to mask our scent and we'll have a way to access the mountains if we have to gain higher ground. If we come in from there… it's already ours. We just have to maintain it." Jasper walked soundlessly away from us and the wolves and the Cullen family followed. I began to walk after him too, but Edward held my hands and shook his head.

"What?" I asked aloud. Again he shook his head.

He blinked slowly and looked at me through his lashes and I understood that he wanted me to hear him. I held on to his hands and tried to focus on Edward's thoughts above the dull predatory roar of everyone else's. _'Bella, I want you to stay by my side. You'll be drawn forward…into the fight. Please try to hold yourself back. Try to stay with me. I know you're powerful and that you don't particularly need me to save you…"_

I rolled my eyes and was about to speak, but he continued.

'_No, Bella please, I know that you're feeling that pull right now to fight, and you're far more capable of protecting yourself than even I know…' _ Edward's thoughts trailed off as he looked at me. _'Are you alright? You look hungry.'_

"I am," I admitted very quietly, "and I can't hear you over all the noise in my head. Let's go. Jasper is too far away…I feel it closing in on me again." It was true too. I had never felt so claustrophobic in my own skin. Edward surprised me by picking me up and carrying me. "What are you doing?" I questioned a little too loudly.

"I'm caring for you… in the only way I can right now. Please Bella." Edward bent his head and kissed my forehead and I just about melted into his arms like putty. It wasn't a power that anyone else possessed, and I would know.

Edward's crooked grin appeared and I was, for that second, comfortable again and above all I felt loved. That feeling of safety was over the second that we caught up to everyone else. I looked around as we arrived and everyone looked annoyed except Alice, who knew exactly where we were because there were no wolves, and it probably made her happy for just an instant.

"Jacob…have you coordinated your people?" Carlisle asked kindly toward the large russet wolf.

Edward spoke in the monotone that I knew was translated thought. "We're ready when you are. I just assigned each one of us to one of you and put a big group behind that one. It will rotate as we go. I can't wait to see if this works."

"Remember, these aren't all newborns, so don't let them get their hands on you. We can't put you back together," Jasper finished with a look of serious concern. "No more loss of life out there…"

Alice took his hand. "Are you ready?"

"Definitely. Carlisle?" Jasper deferred to the father of our strange family.

"We need to get out there. The battle is starting to get serious, and we need to be ready for anything by the time the group from Nod arrives. We need to get an idea of how this is going to go." Carlisle seemed momentarily reluctant, and then he turned and strode forward purposefully. It was as if he just knew that we were needed and that there was no one but us to do it. I realized then that I was feeling Jasper who was keeping me calm and filling me with confidence. Whether it was his or Carlisle's I would never know.

I found that we easily spread out over the space and between each of my family members there was a gigantic wolf. We might have even looked dangerous like this. Maybe no one would want to engage us. It was wishful thinking, although… I had to admit that there was a part of me that truly wanted this fight.

As we broke through the tree line I saw what I had heard only moments before. Everywhere around us there was brutal fighting. Fires were springing up amongst the flailing bodies and strange abilities. I watched as one creature grew horrible leathery black wings and decided to start there. They beat them furiously and I watched as they slowly rose into the air. I focused on the strange wings and the vampire fell out of the sky as I felt them tear through my shirt and destroy the last of my modesty.

I threw my hair over my chest as Emmett took off his shirt and threw it to me. "Cover up kid!" The shirt was huge and I tore the back in two places to accommodate my new scary additions. Edward looked at me with a sort of bemused fascination. I glared at him.

"What!" I shouted over the noise.

"You have beautiful breasts." He shouted over the wolf next to me. "I don't think that's a look we're going to go with though."

The wolf between us was Embry, and he looked over at me with a raised brow ridge as if to ask "Am I really going to have to put up with this?" when he noticed why Edward had made a comment. Though his eyes shot forward, the damage was already done. I pulled the shirt over my shoulders and tied the front. I didn't have the current state of mind to button anything.

"Jacob…stop trying to oogle my wife!" Edward hissed.

"COULD WE HAVE SOME FOCUS PLEASE?!" Jasper roared, and I felt as if I'd been hit by a truck. I started to drown again and I faltered and began to fall.

Embry stopped immediately and whimpered. Jasper cursed and tried to calm me enough to get a grasp of myself again. Edward was about to join me until I hissed "NO!"

I pushed myself to my feet. The wings were cumbersome and I threw them back to keep myself from tripping. The rain had not let up, and in the distance we'd seen lightning, but until now it hadn't lit up the sky in front of us. Now it made the clearing look like day.

Watching the fight wasn't enough… I had to be a part of it. I wanted to tear… to rend… to destroy. My nature was more animalistic than I'd ever wanted to believe. I roared and Embry howled next to me, in return… or in defiance.

"STAY WITH ME!" Edward yelled, frantic over the commotion, but it was too late.

I was drowning in power and bloodlust. I tore forward and the creature in front of me bared its teeth in warning… but it had no power. I tore into the flesh of the monster and listened satisfied as a rending noise rang out under my now talon swathed hands.

If anyone was horrified by my action I would never know… because I didn't look… because I didn't care. Each second I was farther away from my humanity. This feeling… it reminded me of human blood. It was freedom, freedom for the demon inside of me.

"STOP!" Instantly everyone on the field froze. Everyone but the wolves, and the group directly in front of us… the vampires from the secret city of Nod joined us on the field.


	22. Pain and Suffering

Escaping Sol

Chapter 22

Pain and Suffering

Ranma15177

AN: I've read "BD" twice, once to myself and of course once to Eric after I was done. I love reading out loud. : ) That being said, I'm not going to let her manuscript color mine, I have a very definite plot to follow and I won't be adding or subtracting for the sake of "BD." So, no worries, there won't be any conception in this story. No weird Jacob love oblong. I've got a whole and complete story in my head with notes and snippets written down to make my life easier.

Everyone keeps asking me if I liked "Breaking Dawn." Some of you have expressed a deep loathing, and some have really liked it. I'm very much on the fence. My husband put it best; "It wasn't the best book… but it wasn't the worst." Which, literarily speaking, means it is worth reading… but not really worth repeating. (Although as you just read… I have.) This has certainly not put on the breaks for the stories I'm writing. I hope I get a bit more time soon… because it all winds down to time. I'm a mother of two and a caretaker of one : ) On top of that, I'm jockeying in the race for a promotion. I am focusing a bit more in the office… so hopefully that will end in more money. Unfortunately it will also probably breed in less time. Keep your fingers crossed for me despite the result?

I hope this keeps everyone happy for a bit. Everyone waiting on Emmett and Carlisle… I'm sorry about the wait. I'll be focusing on them next.

BPOV:

The sudden shift that I went through when Cain forced us all to stop was alarming. I could only liken it to having a fire inside of you and someone dousing it completely in snow. I wanted to cry out against the feeling, but I couldn't. Apparently "stop" really meant stop for him. I didn't breath, I didn't move… my eyes could not be forced to swing left or right. I felt fear lance through me. I had been irrational and crazed just seconds ago… and in my haste to join the fight I had left behind my senses. More importantly I had left behind Edward.

Who was I? I tried to reconcile what I knew of myself with this strange new creature. I was destructive… and volatile. Edward was wrong about me. I wasn't myself! Certainly not! I tried to picture myself as a human doing anything like this… and then I remembered my desire to be in the field that day when Victoria had come for me. I didn't really remember too many specifics about Victoria herself, but I did remember wanting to be a useful part of my family. It was quite literally a lifetime ago. How could I have been so blind?

Locked here in my head in front of the dismembered creature before me I wanted desperately to cry. I didn't know anything about this thing… no… this person that I had mostly killed. I internally recoiled. What if they had been on our side? What if I had just slain our hope? I was a monster of pure unadulterated evil.

"I hope you all know why you've been assembled here today." Cain spoke first.

Lillith spoke immediately after, but with no less authority. "We have come to stop the darkness of this world from spreading, to end the meddling of Lucifer amongst our kind. Where are you fallen angel… don't you want to talk to me?"

I couldn't be sure what anyone looked like…or if there was anyone left who could move because I was still stuck staring at the torn remains of my prey. If anyone claimed to be the Devil himself I would never know as long as they were to the left or right of me.

I was surprised to hear a horrible voice sound from everywhere around us. I had always thought the Bible was more allegorical in nature. Really who actually speaks with a burning bush or an authoritative disembodied voice?

The tones that the creature spoke in made my stomach do flips. It was every nightmare I'd had when I was still human. "Are you taunting me, Lillith?"

"Are you really so afraid of us that you hide amongst them for protection?" Lillith continued to goad, "Are you really so WEAK?" It sounded as if she were burning with anger. "Come out here and show yourself!"

"You seem awfully certain of yourself, ignorant woman. What if I were to level the playing field a bit so that we could comprise a destination worth having?" The horrible sound of the voice had only just spoken when I was suddenly free and falling to the ground. I just lay there… but I was able to move on my own even if only a little. It felt as if the world were coated in a thick concrete that was slowly unfreezing.

"CAIN!" Lillith's voice trembled with what I could tell was fear and anger. We had obviously found the Devil amongst us without David's help, because I heard someone walking through the grass, and wondered why the voice was now in one place instead of in horrifying stereo.

"Don't forget who I am! You underestimate me! Your time away from the world has left your mind feeble. Don't forget who owns the lion's share of your husband's soul, Lillith! God's pact is with you and your children… not with your mate." The voice continued to make comments back and forth with the coven from Nod, but it seemed to be moving with the footsteps.

I snapped my head up to look around and was disturbed to see that no one else seemed to have moved. Why was I free?

"Did you have some ridiculous notion of finding the Innocent and using it against me?" I heard the voice turning more and more horrible by the second. I wanted to clap my hands over my ears in fear and curl into a ball. I wanted Edward to take me far away and let these strange Biblical creatures fight against each other without me.

As I took stock of myself I was startled to find that my gift was still locked off from me. I still had those horrible leathery wings and talons that curled into the ground as I tried to move. I couldn't get rid of them, and I couldn't take anything new.

As I attempted to rise from the ground I found myself staring at a pair of feet right next to me. I slowly followed them up and looked into the face of the creature that Edward had believed snapped my neck and thrown me in the sea. Andrew… but somehow now he was more horrible, if that was even possible, and in that moment I realized that the reason the voice was becoming more unbearable was because it was getting closer.

"Am I tender to your ears little one?" The tones seared my very soul and I gasped and moaned in pain. This couldn't possibly be the Devil! I held onto the notion that somehow I would be able to dismiss this amongst all of the fighting… I couldn't believe it was real. Somehow, despite everything I knew… I still didn't want to believe in pure evil.

"Can you feel your soul burning when I'm near you? You were such an innocent little thing when I held you last… so human. Let's get rid of these, shall we?" My mind went blank for a second and I felt the wings curl back into my body, and the claws on my fingers became my stubby fingernails once again. I must have looked much the same way that Jacob had seen in his head on that cliff. It was ironic that I would be more helpless now that I was a vampire.

Was this creature who seemed so interested in me always Lucifer? Did he possess Andrew, or was he Andrew all along? Was this awful monster able to warp perception, reality, and our will so easily? What did all of that mean? I wanted desperately to be free… but I still couldn't seem to move beyond a snail pace, and considering my new nature, it was extremely disconcerting.

His fingers curled around my throat and I was immediately thrust into the flames that I had suffered through for three days. I felt my back arch and I couldn't stop the small scream from ripping my mouth apart, and my head tilting back, or my body sagging against his hold. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered the smell of burning flesh… but I knew that couldn't be true at least.

I didn't have the strength to fight this strange creature, but I clamped my lips together and tried to hold back the sound of my agony. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing my pain.

I tried in vain to access the side of myself that was different, and nothing happened. Not even my gift could save me from this onslaught. I wondered briefly if I could die from this horrible ravaging feeling, but then I realized that it hadn't killed me the first time, so I tried to let my mind wander from the explosion of heat and searing poison beneath my skin.

There was a part of me that wondered why no one had stepped in to stop this horror from continuing. What kept the vampires from Nod back? Why hadn't Cain freed my family to at least let them save me? What was stopping Jacob and his brothers from coming to my aid? In my haze I could just make out the wolves being held back by the albino wolf woman, and in that moment I hated her.

"Please don't hold back on our account." The monster whispered in my ear making the pain double despite my thought that nothing could feel worse. Flames licked against my heart, and I knew, in that moment, that it was my very soul that was burning. I was searing from the inside out. I gave up trying to hold in the pain when he shook me like a rag doll. "Let everyone know what defiance feels like little creature, show them what it is to feel true pain!"

I couldn't see now at all… couldn't feel anything but the constant burning. I let my lips come apart and I heard myself screaming although I was somehow outside of myself.

"Let her go Lucifer. You have nothing to gain from this. No one may act until Cain allows it, and the Innocent cannot be hurt by your ridiculous parlor tricks." Lillith said this last with an almost smug tone. "The Innocent is hidden. You've guessed wrong. This one is special certainly…"

I felt myself being once again shaken like a towel that someone was trying to wring out. The venom in my body felt like lava in my dead veins. I heard my own shrieks but could do little to stop them. I could only imagine what my family… what my Edward, was feeling right now. Hopeless and helpless against what they had to be hearing and seeing. I felt an almost palpable sadness grip my heart and coupled with the pain I heard a horrible moan come from my lips before the screams tore through my mouth again. I had been allowed only one small moment of peace. It had only been days when I had been banking on forever. How could I fail my husband so completely?

"No Lillith… I won't fall for your ruse. You have lost, and you know it. I have corrupted her. I ruined your pure sweet Innocent. She drank from my cup… unknowingly, but intent is nothing to me. She drank a covenant in human blood, one that has no end. You are lost. Let me have this miserable planet Lillith. God has abandoned these poor creatures, and the time has come for the demons to walk the earth as we deserve." The voice was like sandpaper against my raw nerves and skin.

Cain made a small choking noise. "Impossible… this one would never… and David has already told us that her soul is pure."

"The Volturi has done its part, and once I planted the seeds of corruption, confusion, and doubt amongst them it was little effort to get them to do my bidding. Strangely, the one who gave her my cup believed that she was saving her. Now… let us stop this ridiculous talk and continue in the way that I choose. Let us dismember the disorganized soldiers of God. Cain… it is time for you to be silent." The ground rushed up to meet me and the fire left my veins. I understood that I was somehow free now from the burning, but that there was some part of me that was wrapped in chains.

I rose shakily to my feet. The world was unfocused, and somehow terribly distant from me. I was still on the outside looking in.

"Take his power." The creature that had been Andrew bid me, and I could do nothing to stop myself. I could only feel some small relief that finally my ability was completely under my control. However it was a useless command, one I knew that I couldn't fill. Cain was completely immune to my gift.

I heard my voice drift over the pouring rain, and although my mind was triumphant, I heard the almost disinterested tenor when I spoke, "I can't touch them."

I heard the creature next to me hiss. "Free my army or I will set fire to your miserable coven for an eternity." The demon standing next to me gripped my hair and drug me toward the wolves and the Cullen's. Impossibly, the albino wolf pushed the rest of the pack further away from me. Their growing distance didn't upset me. I wanted them safely away.

I wanted to cry in defiance, but the chains that bound my soul were now impossibly thick, and my despair seemed to grow by the second. Edward… I didn't want him to see me like this. I didn't want Lucifer to hurt him, and there was a part of me that wanted to beg him to run despite knowing that movement was beyond their control at the moment.

Even if I could steal the power Cain held, I would have to hold onto it and something told me that I would be incapable. There was nothing for me to do. The closer we got the more pain and fear I felt, it became overwhelming, but for the first time in what seemed like forever I could see my family.

All of them stood locked in Cain's iron grip. The didn't move or breath. They looked like hollow statues, but I knew that deep inside they could see me, could hear everything that was going on, and they were probably desperate to move.

I locked eyes with Carlisle, wishing I could move my mouth to tell him that I was sorry that I'd brought all of this down on my family. I looked into each of their faces. "I'm… so… sorry…" The words came out stunted and hollow of emotion, but I forced them past my lips. "I… love… you."

I finally settled my eyes on Edward, my husband. I couldn't let him get hurt. I didn't want any of them to be injured. I wouldn't help this disgusting creature to hurt them! I looked at my family and I felt something inside of me rip away. It was as if the chains that had held me were nothing at all, not chains, but insubstantial thread that had been chaffed beyond use. They broke with no further struggle, as if they had never been.

The demon that held me by the throat looked between Edward and I with a cruel smile. "Let no MAN put asunder." His lips crashed against my own and it felt like a million whips lashing my skin at once, like rolling through broken glass naked. It stopped me from tearing him apart by seconds when he turned away again to look at Edward I could see that he was free from the thrall as well.

I felt the horrible triumphant roar leave my lips before I could stop it, and when the monster turned to stare at me in confusion all hell broke loose with a whispered command that could only have been made by Cain. "Fight!"

EPOV:

"STAY WITH ME!" I roared in furious agony.

I watched in horror as my bride tore off into battle. I knew that her instincts would take her further away from me than I'd like, but I never would have imagined in a million years that her control would be compromised so quickly. I had done my best to distract her… I had thought that conversation would help her keep her head, but it was not so.

I would have to break formation; I would have to put the wolves at risk to bring her back. I would not lose my wife after everything we'd been through. Not now, not ever. I couldn't fathom my world without my heart… and Bella was the keeper of my soul.

She, and by association, I was lucky when she picked her target. A newborn like herself, but with no seeming manifestation of power to help keep my Bella's tearing claws at bay. She was in the midst of the complete dismemberment of her opponent when Cain shouted, "STOP!" Everything and everyone seized up in that instant. I knew that his power was capable of this… but with so many…

We were all frozen. Locked in the same position that we'd been in when Cain yelled his directive, and then he spoke again, "I hope you all know why you've been assembled here today."

Almost as if they were of one mind, Lillith continued, "We have come to stop the darkness of this world from spreading, to end the meddling of Lucifer amongst our kind. Where are you fallen angel… don't you want to talk to me?"

A nebulous voice answered, one that I had never heard in my head. It was like nothing I'd ever perceived, and a feeling like nails scraping against flesh accompanied it. The voice was actually painful. "Are you taunting me, Lillith?" It seemed to have no body… it was everywhere and coming from nowhere. I couldn't hear the panicked mental voices all around me. My ability was turned off along with my muscles. I realized that this was exactly what the coven from Nod had warned us about… but I couldn't be sure if Cain was the reason for my lack of heightened ability or if it was the demon of Biblical nightmares.

"Are you really so afraid of us that you hide amongst them for protection?" Lillith snapped in derision, "Are you really so WEAK? Come out here and show yourself!"

I could see through the sheeting rain into the heart of the frozen soldiers and somewhere amongst them there was sudden movement. I desperately tried to move myself as well, but it was to no effect. That someone in the strangely hazy darkness straightened and turned toward the vampires from Nod. I knew this creature from Jacob's thoughts… this monster was the same one I had believed killed my wife, Andrew, Bella had called him. Had he always been this creature walking amongst us, or did he possess this horrible creature from Jane's army?

"You seem awfully certain of yourself, ignorant woman. What if I were to level the playing field a bit so that we could comprise a destination worth having?" Whatever the creature was, it was looking carefully around him again and then he stopped on the crouched figure of my wife and he waved dismissively. Bella fell like a puppet with its strings cut. I wanted to call out to her… but there was nothing I could do. I was frozen.

"CAIN!" Lillith called my attention back to her and I realized that Cain too had fallen. She started to help her husband to stand, but he seemed to be stretched into a position of pain.

"Don't forget who I am! You underestimate me! Your time away from the world has left your mind feeble. Don't forget who owns the lion's share of your husband's soul, Lillith! God's pact is with you and your children… not with your mate." The creature who may have been Lucifer talked to Lillith, but he walked casually toward Bella. My inner monster bit and tore at its restraints, but I was silent and still.

Bella seemed to be moving lethargically, I wished I could tell her to crawl as quickly as she could away from the approaching figure. He spoke again and the pain resumed. "Did you have some ridiculous notion of finding the Innocent and using it against me?"

As he got closer and closer I became more desperate. 'Please God… Please no. Don't let him hurt her.' My pleas were falling on deaf ears though. This creature before me was the one that held our souls, not God, and I was sure that his mercy did not extend to include the creatures of hell. He was standing next to my wife now, and there was nothing that I could do to stop him. Andrew… the Devil… was going to have a second chance at killing her.

Bella had gotten a stabilizing clawed hand under herself and she was slowly starting to rise, but then she paused. She must have noticed the proximity of the fallen angel next to her. She looked up and I saw her mud streaked face haggard with the pain I felt but could not express, and recognition. I watched her shy slightly from him and cower. She could see him and knew him instantly.

"Am I tender to your ears little one?" When he addressed her she groaned and I could hear the pain in her voice. "Can you feel your soul burning when I'm near you? You were such an innocent little thing when I held you last… so human. Let's get rid of these, shall we?" I watched in horror as all of her advantages were taken away, and I knew that there was little that she could do to fight him anyway.

His hands moved toward Bella's neck, and I could hear the furious roar in my head as she began to writhe and let out a single scream. She didn't, or couldn't, fight Lucifer. I watched in defeat as her body moved unnaturally into silent spasms. From moment to moment I would hear another muted moan of agony. I felt myself losing my grip on reality as she was tortured. I felt myself losing my mind in fear, horror, and anger.

Small noises of pain left her throat and the creature that was Andrew frowned deeply and spoke into her ear like a caress… but he had no care for my wife. Lucifer spoke, "Please don't hold back on our account." I knew he was speaking about the lack of screams coming from Bella. The violent way that he shook her from the throat looked like a mockery of the last time when she'd been more breakable. "Let everyone know what defiance feels like little creature, show them what it is to feel true pain!"

Something must have changed in the way the creature was injuring her…because she began to scream… and it was unrestrained. I wanted to rock back and forth… to find some respite from my own pain… but there was nothing.

Finally Lillith spoke out against Bella's torture. "Let her go Lucifer. You have nothing to gain from this. No one may act until Cain allows it, and the Innocent cannot be hurt by your ridiculous parlor tricks. The Innocent is hidden. You've guessed wrong. This one is special certainly…"

I watched as a horrible grin fanned out over his lips and he once again shook my wife from her thin throat. From time to time she would scream or whimper and I would scream or whimper right along with her in my head. Again the fallen angel spoke, "No Lillith… I won't fall for your ruse. You have lost, and you know it. I have corrupted her. I ruined your pure sweet Innocent. She drank from my cup… unknowingly, but intent is nothing to me. She drank a covenant in human blood, one that has no end. You are lost. Let me have this miserable planet Lillith. God has abandoned these poor creatures, and the time has come for the demons to walk the earth as we deserve."

Cain continued to master himself as he spoke, "Impossible… this one would never… and David has already told us that her soul is pure."

"The Volturi has done its part, and once I planted the seeds of corruption, confusion, and doubt amongst them it was little effort to get them to do my bidding. Strangely, the one who gave her my cup believed that she was saving her. Now… let us stop this ridiculous talk and continue in the way that I choose. Let us dismember the disorganized soldiers of God. Cain… it is time for you to be silent. Take his power." The creature that had been Andrew smiled wolfishly.

Her voice was reedy, but it called to me, and my soul stopped feeling as if it were in a lit inferno. "I can't touch them."

"Free my army or I will set fire to your miserable coven for an eternity." His threat was clear as he glared into my eyes, and I saw at once that Bella could no longer fight him, and that as he glared back at her she was resigned to whatever fate I couldn't stop. It didn't matter. Wherever she went I would follow. I was surrounded by willing able bodied executioners. Even if we had to spend an eternity in hell, at least we would be together.

Andrew… this supposed Satan… began to back up his threat, and walked slowly forward. Bella's voice reached me as he dangled her from his hand. "I'm… so… sorry…" Her voice was without any emotion, but I understood that this was because of the hold the creature had on her. Bella struggled out the next words through clenched teeth, and although it was meant for all of us I took solace in the words. "I… love… you."

My wife, my Bella looked deeply into my eyes and I felt some aspect of myself fall into place. Suddenly the world was alive with voices again. Her very presence seemed to be saving me from some horrible fate.

The first thing to reach my mental focus was that my family was panicking, their thoughts jockeying for my attention.

'_Bella! Edward… we have to get Cain to release us… My daughter!'_ Esme's mental voice shrilled and I wondered if she had just continued to think to me throughout all of this, hoping that I could "hear" her in my head.

Rosalie surprised me with her mostly unselfish thoughts, _'This… this is insanity... Bella is being hunted by Lucifer! I'm going on a very long vacation after this Edward. We'll get out of this, and I'll do everything I can. Afterward though, I'm going to lie on a beach naked with my husband, and you and your trouble-maker have to stay here… where I can't get hurt by her.'_ It was just as I said… mostly unselfish.

Alice spoke directly into my head, _'Edward, I'm back on-line so I assume you are too. Just a warning, I can't see him. Every time I try to see his future I get very disturbing images. I'm completely blocked off from Bella, but I don't know if that's him, her, or maybe us together? The second I can move again I'm going to turn this guy into a big pile of parts.'_ I couldn't be certain but I felt that Jasper would have considered that course of action to be completely dangerous.

'_There is no way to be certain what is going on here. Who is this creature really? Is it really the devil himself? If it is, what is his interest in us? Why did he attack Bella? I'm certain he was referring to her drinking human blood before. That must have been the incident that Jasper was talking about on the plane. He and Emmett deciding what that meant for their bet. I don't consider it to be really drinking from a human… but this creature has formed some sort of blood bond with her from that cup? I've heard of demonically possessed vessels… but this is beyond my knowledge. I'd always believed that sort of thing more fantasy than fact… either way… I'll not let him hurt my daughter... Edward's mate.' _Carlisle's thoughts were exploratory, frantic, but as always he was focused on the family.

'_Edward,' _it was Jasper. _'Now that I can feel everyone freaking out again… he's confident… and evil. Damn evil. Bella is terrified. I suppose that's not a surprise. I'll try to get him away from her when we get our bodies back under our control. Do me a favor and keep that thing away from my Alice?'_ Yep, he would definitely be against her turning him into a "pile of parts."

Emmett's mind was full of focused anger. _'Rip… tear… shred… put my sister through pain? I'll show you what it means to hurt! Once I'm done with you there will hardly be enough to burn.' _I was flattered that he cared that much. Of course he would love his little sister. He had always been so sweet to her as a human, and I could only imagine how doting he would be now that she was as unbreakable as the rest of us.

Bella's eyes fell onto me and I wished that I could convey my thoughts to her… my hopes… my desires… and most of all my love. As she seemed to focus on the family I felt myself come free from the frozen state I had been in.

"Let no MAN put asunder." My rage could hardly be contained as I watched his lips press against my wife's. If this creature wanted my attention… it had more than earned it. I felt fury boil inside myself as he looked smugly back at me. He didn't know we were free yet… it would be his mistake.

I heard Bella give a roar of triumph as she too came out of her stupor.

In the meanwhile, Cain spoke the words I had been waiting for: "Fight!"


	23. An Angel's Torment

Escaping Sol

Chapter 23

An Angel's Torment

Ranma15177

Did you miss me? I'm sorry about the length of time between updates. On October 15th after all the good and bad this year my Grandfather went on to the next great adventure. I miss him endlessly, and it really was a catalyst for a bit of a pause in everything. I'm feeling much better now though, and I'm going to continue writing now. : )

I want to thank everyone who has been so helpful to me in the past few months and over the space of this year. Everyone was always so helpful and nice. I'm endlessly thankful, and I couldn't have made it through without you.

An extra special thanks goes out to my Beta, Cullenista! She's been wonderful getting me into this chapter and really helping me get the creative juices flowing. Making a "good" chapter **much** better. : ) Go read "Blue Moon Over Manka's" and get caught up before she gets the new chapter online : )

BPOV:

The situation descended into chaos very quickly, and although I wanted to tear off the arm of the offending monster that held me, I would be content to simply run away into the waiting arms of my family. I would have too, had I not had to contend with the monumental task of keeping myself from drowning in the power all around me. As it was my roar was seemingly the last stand of a toothless lion. I needn't have worried. I heard a shearing sound as I began to collapse against all of the pain and confusion and looked into the face of an angel.

"… Bella." Edward held me as if I were breakable spun glass. The arm that had been holding me, keeping me from my family, was lying on the ground and crawling away on the power of its fingers. The monster, Andrew, was nowhere to be seen… and I wondered if my family had already dispatched him. I felt an uncomfortable fear… and a dwindling feeling of desperation that wouldn't seem to leave. Certainly the fighting and my feelings of dread would be gone if this was the case. I wasn't sure if Cain was the type to let people fight unnecessarily.

However, all around us was still chaos; unparalleled in its monstrous and destructive nature. Growls, hisses, shrieks, and any manner of hellish sounds invaded my ears and made my nonexistent heart thunder with the desire to join in. Edward seemed reluctant to let me go, but I could see where it was inevitable that we were going to be torn away from each other. It was a very heartrending and cheerless fact. Who knew if we were ever going to get out of this alive? I felt shaky and confused. Vampires all around us were viciously shredding and destroying each other.

Jasper's voice called out over the melee, "We HAVE to get out of this. It's a brawl, and there aren't any sides. They are acting under Cain's influence and merely fighting whoever is closest. For some reason… we've been spared. We need to fall back!"

I looked beyond the dimming glory of my own personal miracle and saw that my family stood in a ring around us… and that they were only throwing off those who came close enough to be a threat to Edward and me. I looked beyond my vampire relations and saw a group of more then thirty wolves including Jacob and his pack mauling its way through the battle to us in a line that extended like a path.

I realized instantly that a passageway is exactly what it was. They were creating a way for us to get out of the middle of the field. The line would disrupt for a few seconds on one side or the other as a wolf would pause to dispatch an attacker throwing their pieces here and there to slow their reattachment. I focused on the back of the two lines and immediately saw the vampires from Nod.

I could almost hear my strange angry defiance to leave the fight in my veins. It was like my body was aching to fight. The rest of me was lethargic and still numb with remembered pain and anguish. Edward picked me up from the ground in his arms and I fell limply against him as we broke away from the fight and down the line of wolves that folded in and collapsed back toward us as we ran. It was quite a sight to see them so in synch.

As we finally reached the area by the garage and the end of the strange wolfy red carpet I became aware that my husband had been speaking to me, and I wasn't sure how long. "…Bella…speak to me. Please." Edward's trembling voice brought me back to my focus and I realized that he was terrified that something the creature had done had caused me lasting damage.

I was distracted by the battle and what it did to my instincts and how that reacted to my talent. Mixing that with the suffering I'd just endured and I felt strangely wrecked and emotionally damaged. I wanted to answer him, but I would somehow have to force words out of my mouth. It just wasn't happening at present and I hoped that my eyes could convey that I understood.

"Carlisle!" Edward looked over at my father and small sister as his voice sounded strained and scared. "Alice!"

"I think she'll be okay Edward. She's just in shock, and as I've never seen a vampire in shock I'm not entirely sure how our coping mechanisms work." Carlisle smiled at me and ran his hand over my forehead. It was a soothing gesture and I felt myself relaxing almost immediately.

"See these Edward? I'm at a loss!" Alice pointed around at the wolves that stood everywhere around us, sounding as frustrated as she looked.

"Bella… can you talk to me sweetheart?" Edward prompted as the rain fell on our faces and the lightning struck blue and white against the sky. I could smell the ozone from its discharge and the earthy smell of the muddy field, as well as the wet char of the house and the myriad cloying scents of the vampires around us. Every sense was heightened. I tried my voice again and failed. I shook my head no.

Had Andrew done something to steal my voice? Was that what he'd been doing when he'd kissed me? I felt awash with fright at the idea that I would never be able to speak again. I must have looked panicked because Edward shushed me and stroked my hair as he put me slowly on my wobbly feet. I knew that I could stand, but I was having a hard time convincing my body of it.

"She's feeling the taint of his interference. Satan is trying to take what isn't his to steal." Lillith captured my face in her hands and smiled. "He can't win Bella, don't fear, and have faith. Your soul is far too good to give into The Dark Lord of Evil." Lillith released me and looked at Edward and into the faces of my worried family. "Give her a little time and she will remove him from her heart… I believe in your angel."

Edward didn't seem to like Lillith's suggestion that I had been somehow tainted by the "Dark Lord of Evil." I silently agreed that it was a really scary thought. He looked into my red eyes as if he could spot something there, as if he could battle the demons inside of me on my behalf. Secretly I wished that he could.

I shook my head and continued to concentrate on the constant barrage of my catalogue and the new desolate feeling that wanted to invade my every perception. This must have been what Lillith was speaking of. This feeling of drowning in hopelessness was the feeling that was invading my perceptions. I felt fear… deep and complete.

My emotions must have shown on my face because Edward, who had been already worried, seemed to go completely still and horrified. Suddenly, as if the state I was in was activated by my knowledge of the taint of the creature that had tormented me just moments before and was waiting for me to grow weaker. As if the darkness in my soul knew that it was losing, and that my husband's fear was adding to my own, I felt myself descending into an endless darkness and the world slipped away.

EPOV:

Bella fell forward, limp in my arms. Her eyes blank and unseeing, her breathing stopped, and as I lay her unresponsive body on the ground I fought the urge to shake her to wakefulness. My family was locked in varying states of confusion and concern especially Carlisle, who felt for the first time in many years, completely useless because his medical training couldn't help us.

"What's happening to her?" Rosalie asked with a fair amount of fear in her voice. "Is she dead?"

My wife looked every bit the lifeless corpse. It was just as Rosalie said, and it frightened me beyond reason. I looked up and tried to find anyone who could help, and behind the shocked stares of my family I saw Cain straining with effort. If we could sweat I imagined that he would have been pouring with perspiration from the effort he was putting in.

"We can't go forward without your woman." Lillith's mate spoke through gnashing teeth while looking into my eyes. "We need her talent, but this is for the best. If she can remove the hold that he has tried to assert now…" Cain's voice faltered.

"If we can help her to remove Satan's hold on her it will be easier to fight back. If he has even the smallest hold he can take her will and bend it to his own. That's what you saw a few minutes ago. Your wife was his unwitting pawn. We can't allow that. This is much better!" David interjected into the conversation where Cain could no longer.

"How can this be better?" My father asked with worry etched across his features. He kept dividing his attention between Bella and the wolf pack with the knowledge that the situation could need his attention at any time. His thoughts focused on everyone's safety.

My family stood ready to fight, but the wolves held a steady line against the aggressors.

"Why don't you just tell them to fight each other… or not fight us?" Emmett asked with confusion evident on his face.

"You want to do this?" Cain strained through his teeth.

"Nope… sorry." Emmett sheepishly replied back.

Priya spoke as she wove vines into a low wall around us and the wolves retreated slightly. "It is too much of an effort. With so many spirits running hot blooded they only listen to the most basic of commands. Remember… we're talking about five-hundred souls, and he has to tend to them as individuals. Cain is extremely powerful!"

The beautiful forever pregnant Lana took that moment to erect a shield around us.

"Well… it looks like you've bought us a little time to plan, huh?" Jasper seemed to favor this idea.

"I wanted to wait until we were all here and accounted for… and that there wasn't anyone else inside with us so that we could focus," Lana explained serenely. She seemed to have a lot of confidence that we were now safe and I saw the vampires from Nod begin to relax.

"Thank you, Love." Akira leaned into his mate and I could almost feel the wave of energy as the shelter reinforced itself with the addition of his ability.

The wolves kept the perimeter, but I could see where a few of them were licking wounds and most were thinking murderous thoughts about the army now beyond their reach. They had more than earned a rest in my eyes. I owed them everything at this point… and if it took me forever I would find a way to repay this unwavering dedication.

I looked up at the quietest of the group from Nod, the two Russians, and the way they stood almost uninterested in the fight. Leaning as they were against the structure of our garage, they had an uncanny air of confidence in the way the held themselves and it was slightly unnerving.

"David… can you see anything in Bella's soul image?" Lillith asked calmly.

David looked intently at my bride and I couldn't help trying to look into his thoughts. Needing desperately to understand my wife's current condition I had to make the attempt, and I was very surprised to find that I could touch his mind now. I watched, fascinated as I saw her through his eyes. Pure white, her soul was a warm place. I could feel it, bask in its glow as if it were a joyful inferno. Deep inside though I could see where something dark and sinister had taken root.

I lost the image almost immediately afterward, but in that instant I realized that I had also lost my ability to read anyone else's thoughts. There were no voices in my head beyond my own. Was Bella somehow tapping into my power? I filled my mind with every moment of our lives together, the good and the bad. Every second of our love, and all that it had endured through. I hoped that wherever my wife was, she could divine that I loved her desperately, that I needed her with me to survive. My every hope for the future was in her hands.

'_I love you, come back to me Bella.'_ I thought desperately hoping that she could hear.

"I can see the darkness Lillith," David said simply.

"Does she control the darkness, or does it control her?" Lillith questioned with a concerned look.

"It still controls her, although it seems to be growing despite her efforts." David grimaced and I tried to access my talent to no avail.

"Well don't just stand there… do something!" Alice demanded.

"There is nothing to be done. We can't go where she is right now," Lillith responded to my sister's entreaty.

"I can," My pixie sister insisted with a whisper, and her eyes closed like a pair of twin storm shutters. As soon as she had done this the dull roar of voices was back. _'I'll save her Edward.'_ Alice's thoughts were gone immediately afterward and she began to fall like a puppet with its strings cut.

"ALICE NO!" Jasper darted to the crumpling form of my tiny sister. I could tell from the terror in his mind that her emotions had also ceased as they had before on the field when he'd thought her dead. "Damn it she's done it again! What is this? Where are they?" Jasper demanded.

"Well… That's different." David looked between them and once again through his eyes I could see where my sister's buttery yellow combined with Bella's bright white slowly curling itself toward the darkness.

"It's like the little one, Myra and I." Lillith stated with certainty. "Bella and Alice seem to share some kind of symmetry. Bella was using Alice's ability to shelter herself from the taint that was threatening her soul. Alice can follow her somehow despite Bella's control of her power. Who can really say why or how."

"Why Alice and not me," I asked with uncertainty. "She seemed to have borrowed my mind reading earlier, but I didn't pass out like that."

"She borrowed your talent?" Carlisle questioned me.

"A minute or so ago my gift disappeared in the way that it does when she is borrowing it. It somehow felt the same, and I knew that it was her." I confirmed to my father.

Lillith smiled and touched Bella's hair. "She was reaching out to you. Did you reach back?"

I looked into my wife's staring eyes. "Yes, but I don't know if she could hear me."

"I'm sure she heard… now… the question is whether Lucifer was able to twist the message." David grunted out with a growl.

BPOV:

It was dark here. Dark and lonely, with no end in sight to the place I was in; no up or down to speak of. I knew that this place was my own personal hell, and that I was going to be punished here, alone, for all eternity. I deserved this pain. I would never see my family again, and then there was light.

In that moment I could see every horrible thing I had ever done to my Edward. Every moment that filled me with pain, every terrible betrayal was laid bare before me and I felt myself breaking. It was like shattering into a million pieces without any hope of pulling me back together. Edward was telling me over and over that he didn't love me, didn't want me. I was kissing Jacob. I was jumping off a cliff in La Push. I was sitting in my room in Charlie's house wishing I could kill myself and wishing I had never made a promise to keep myself safe. I was tearing at my flesh as I died. I was telling Jacob that I didn't love him enough to stay. I was aloof and shut off from everyone and everything around me as the world went on without me. I contemplated kissing Jacob. I broke Edward's heart with my tears… longing for something I shouldn't while he held me in his arms.

I tried a million reckless things for the sake of hearing a voice in my head, and tried to throw my life away for the sake of my insecurities. I ran away from the people who loved me and wanted to protect me so that I could sneak into the arms of Jacob while professing to love Edward completely. The fear I caused Alice when I would disappear from the future when I would run away because she couldn't tell if I was dead or just missing. I promised myself to Edward and in the same day kissed Jacob and let him believe that I loved him. I watched myself cringe openly as a ring slid on my finger, as if my agreement to marry was something dirty and unwanted.

I knew then that I wanted to speak with Edward, to explain myself. I wanted him to know my heart. I wanted him to understand that I had never meant to hurt him. "Edward, please, I love you. I need you." I felt my extra sense reach out but it was to no avail, Edward was not here in hell, and thank God for it. Darkness again.

A flash of light, and I saw new things. Things I should never have been able to see. I saw Edward standing in the snow with a creature of divine beauty, one that must have been Tanya. He held a regard for her… I could see it. He cared about her, and she knew it. He was angry about something. Angry that he'd left home because of me, a nobody without any connection to him. I ached at the thought.

I felt the first real flash of worry as I was nearly crushed by Tyler's van, and the way he felt that he was betraying his family. Yet… he felt an inexplicable pull. Confusion, and worry at what I would do to him now that I understood that they were different. He needed to know me. He needed to understand me, and when Jasper was intent on killing me he became angry. I had never known that Jasper had planned my death. Thank God for small pixies who wanted a best friend, and their over indulgent husbands.

Over time he grew to want me, to covet me, my heart, and my body. I felt the burn of his lust as he kissed me, wishing he could have me completely. Desire knotted in my stomach and I wondered if it was his or mine. Knowing that his lascivious thoughts could never be acted upon, after all lust was still a sin. If a man was guilty for his thoughts, Edward would have been in a lot of trouble. If I had known just how ardently he had wanted me, I would never have backed down so easily. That would have been wrong though, it wouldn't have been right to tempt his soul. I was such a wicked thing.

I saw Edward's singular horror and limitless anguish at the things he'd seen written by my hand before I'd run off to give myself over to James. Me asking him to forgive me, and his feelings of anger that followed. He would never have forgiven himself, and that was so much worse. I saw myself broken and bloody on the floor of the dance studio and the myriad ways Edward contemplated his death if I were not going to live.

Then, when it became apparent that I'd been bitten, fright. So much fear that it was almost debilitating. I felt the divine tenor of my blood flooding through Edward, and the conflict that it caused in him even when he loved me completely. The bloodthirsty monster was still a part of the man and he hated himself for it. The hate didn't outweigh the joy at saving me, and Edward was feeling it acutely. I had never known how much he blamed himself for my encounter with James and how that blame led to the destruction of our relationship. He had hidden it so well.

I saw myself thrown into the table at my birthday, crystal shards slicing easily through my human skin. I understood Edward's conflict. I watched as he bared his teeth at his brother. His willingness to kill Jasper for my sake was complete and the desperation it caused him was, too. The way his heart shattered with the idea of leaving me and the long hours of unending torture between the realization that he would have to leave and the act itself.

Now I was with him in the forest, forcing lies at myself, pushing unwanted words through a cursed body, and an aching dead soul that was never to be complete again and knowing it. "I don't want you." It was like acid boiling in my veins. No… he didn't want me, he needed me, like air. I was Edward's air and I felt him begin to suffocate further with each second.

My words burned him inside and out. "You don't want me?" He shriveled inside more and more. "That changes things." Of course it did, because maybe I could hate him as much as he hated himself. He wanted me to hate him. Swallowing each lie he was forced to tell, because he told them so well. "Please, don't do this."

Edward's thoughts invaded my own and made me ache with remembered loss. _'Please, don't let me. I want to take you with me. I want to, God knows I do. I want to take you away from here and keep you. Alice says that I can make you mine. Alice says that you would be happy beside me, but I couldn't bear for you to lose yourself for me. It isn't right, it isn't fair! Don't you see Bella? I love you so much. This way you can be human, have children, and one day your beautiful soul can rest. You belong with the angels, not with me, never with me. I'm just a demon, and God will help you find someone who can take you into the light. I can only bring you darkness… death. Goodbye my love. Goodbye my heart.'_

I observed my face crumbling at the words he spoke, and felt Edward's fingers tearing into his own palm. Pain, he welcomed the pain, because that's all he could feel anymore, and the only thing he deserved for hurting an angel. I wanted to hold him… to tell him that I understood now… and that he was wrong for thinking he should ever feel anything but tenderness. He wasn't death to me, but I could see how much hurt I had brought to his heart and I hated myself for it.

Unyielding loneliness and the desire to be nothing, nowhere, finally dead and gone from the world were filling my senses. Lying on the ground in the snow, it had been weeks since anyone had approached him. They didn't know where he was. Alice saw a field of white… but they were in Alaska. It wasn't going to help them, and Edward only wanted to be left alone, forever.

At least he could imagine me lying beside him. Sometimes he did. He indulged in the memory of me and the pain would swell and ebb and flow, and in the end that is how the family found him. Jasper had felt the crippling swell of misery, and led them to us. Now I was falling into the misery, I was sharing in all of his pain. I knew it well indeed. I had felt the same. Oh, the suffering I had caused him!

Finding a purpose was like a light at the end of the darkest tunnel imaginable. He tried to focus on his search for Victoria, but she was too elusive. He wanted to be of some use to me, and all I had done was to doubt his love. On a basic level deep in my heart I had known… but… it had never been enough. I had betrayed him on so many levels, and in so many endless ways.

Rosalie, a phone call. Oh! It wasn't even concrete. The swirling wicked emotions that filled me now were so complete, so terrible that I wished as well to die. No one could save us. Nothing could ever be worthwhile again. My dead heart was tearing in half in my body. _'How could she take her own life? How could she lie to me? She was supposed to grow old! She was supposed to love again! Humans aren't like us! She was young, and strong. Alice… she was right. I destroyed her! She told me I was going to kill her, and I didn't listen! I belong in hell.'_ It was like a vice was squeezing us and killing every bit of light in Edward, and his thoughts led only to death.

I crashed into him and he thought he'd somehow reached heaven… or hell. It didn't matter. He had found me. I felt the strange quiet death of something inside of Edward. I wasn't even sure if he noticed. I felt the monster turn its back on itself. It wanted me too, couldn't live without me. The desire it felt added to the ardor that Edward held for me, and so our return to Forks was the hardest trip he had ever made. The monster wanted to keep me, it wanted to flow into my veins and be inside of me too.

Edward was being torn in half. I was quiet and aloof. I didn't let him kiss me. I remembered feeling afraid that he didn't want me. How ridiculous I had been! What an unfeeling human monstrosity.

Edward prayed, _'Why would God make me live for her, not to have her? Am I meant to feel this torment? Bella, I would gladly be anything for you. God, please let her love me! I know that I don't deserve it. I know I'm just a monster, but for some reason this angel keeps saving me from myself. I want her to save me.' _There was a complication though, one that my dark angel had never imagined, but had hoped for in the darkest places in his heart.

Jacob. Edward knew I was in love. He watched it and it felt like poison in his veins. It ran swift and black and dark into his very soul. He knew I wanted him in the ways that he wanted me. That I could have everything he'd wanted for me with this strange creature that was more human than him. Envy was a sin too, and it smoldered in my husband's heart like a coiling snake.

He wished he had died in Volterra for the sake of my soul. He wanted to be selfish, but another part of him didn't want to be. He contemplated leaving again and I nearly screamed with fear. He wanted every bit of my love, but he had pushed me away, and now there was room in my heart for someone else.

I watched after my first "rebellion" how Edward had reacted. The trees never stood a chance. He tore and punched and obliterated all of the things in his path. His rage and pain all focused inside. He blamed himself completely for my traitor heart. He was sobbing on his knees when we were joined by our small sister.

"Are you finished?" Alice asked him.

"Yes." My husband's voice sounded defeated.

"You're sure?" Alice asked quietly. When she continued she fell to her knees and held Edward's head on them, stroking his hair and speaking softly. "You knew something like this could happen."

"Yes, I told her to be with someone else. It's everything I ever wanted for her, and it's so much worse. Alice, what should I do? I feel so lost. I'll lose her to him. She wants to run to him. You've seen it." I could hear his voice tremble with empty tears.

"I can't see anything about them Edward, you know that." My sister's voice was timid.

"Yes, but our future together is gone now isn't it Alice?" Edward's voice was thick with accusation.

"Yes, but you need to have a little more faith in Bella. I think you'll be surprised to find her right back in your arms tonight." Alice looked sad and I knew it was because she hadn't seen it. She couldn't be sure. I had caused that lack of faith. I had made my sister doubt everything about Edward and my future.

My husband's face looked into hers. "I lose her a little more each day, Alice. You see that don't you?"

Alice got angry then, "Hell, you told her to fall in love with someone else, Edward. You saw my vision; you know that she would have been faithful to you for an eternity. You caused this rift in her, and you're going to have to heal it. You need to be strong now to make up for your weakness before."

"He's better for her. He's her sun. She's said it in her sleep. She wants Jacob, Alice. Maybe I should let her go. They could be happy together. I know she can heal, she's already done it. I ruined everything." The words were like lances and the barbs kept shattering through bone and sinew and I felt as if they were slicing into my chest ever closer to my heart.

The last words I heard from him sounded distant, muffled as if by time or distance. "I love you, come back to me Bella." The world was darkness again.

I was a horrible creature! How could someone like Edward, someone who had held his regard for me even when I had broken him, want me? Edward would be better off if I couldn't hurt him anymore. Everyone would be better off if I had just fallen to my death so many months ago from that stupid cliff… no… that was wrong. Edward and his family loved me. Even Jacob… whom I'd hurt terribly. Strung along like a panting bitch in heat… No! My heart railed against the despair, pain, and confusion.

Lies! I knew better. Edward DID love me. He had just joined himself to me in every way that our lives allowed. We had married in an unorthodox way… but it was still a vow to be with one another for an eternity.

What about Jacob? Had I somehow gone out of my way to make my best friend fall in love with me? No, Jacob was NOT led on any more than he set himself up to be. He knew I was in love with Edward when he decided to pursue me. I had warned him that we would never, could never, be lovers as long as my heart was with Edward… and it would be with Edward if there was life in me.

This was a test, a trial against the character of my heart. One I would not lose. I would never give into the despair that rocked me in this darkness. The light became concrete visions of my pain and suffering.

I was surrounded by fire and lava. My skin was eaten through in places and I could see muscle and bone. Maggots and worms crawled over my flesh. I screamed, and the sound echoed for an eternity. Now I could say that I'd glimpsed Hell. It was indeed an actual place. I saw tormented souls being tortured around me, demons delighting in the misery of the lost spirits. At times I could even feel the burning of my soul as my change from human to vampire took place, my unassisted trip into the scorching fires of Hell on Earth.

There was no reprieve from the charnel pit I found myself in, but I was reminded that I was saving myself from this future. I was not yet a part of this landscape. Somewhere deep inside I could feel the quiet presence that was always there, even in the worst moments of doubt and pain.

A quiet observer to my life that delighted in joy and love… someone or something that carried me through every horrible part of my life. The realization was staggering and I found myself on my knees. In that moment I did something that I hadn't done since Renee had gone through her church-going faze and insisted on coming into my room each night to kneel next to me before my bedtime. I prayed.

I prayed that my family would be safe. I prayed that my parents would be healthy and live long free lives. I prayed that Edward would be happy and taken care of. I prayed that my friends at La Push would die old in their beds and that they would all find happiness. Finally I prayed for myself. I asked for strength, I asked for peace, I asked for guidance…" I didn't feel my skin burning; I couldn't feel the crawling of the worms anymore.

"Bella… This place is never going to get old." Alice commented and my eyes snapped open to find my pixie sister on her knees in front of me her hands folded as if in prayer too. God had sent me Alice? We were in a sterile looking room that may have been in a hospital, but everything looked dated. I threw my arms around my psychic sister.

I let her go and put my hands on her shoulders shaking her slightly. "Are you nuts? What if I get stuck here, and you get stuck here because I get stuck here and you can't get back to Jasper?" I accused.

Alice smiled a weak yet beautiful smile at me. "You are a Cullen. My sister. I'm not going to let you suffer alone when I could carry some of the burden. I promised Edward that I would save you. Besides, Jazzy knows that I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. We've been through too much for this to come between us, and I can't even remember the first seventeen…"

Just as her voice trailed off a curtain was drawn back and Alice and I looked up into the face of someone I didn't know. He held a clipboard and a pen and had the distinct look of a doctor of some kind. He had a slow saccharine smile on his face and he only seemed to have eyes for Alice who somehow looked more and more different by the second.

Her hair… which had always been clipped short had grown down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were an endless oceanic blue… but they seemed to hold the same wisdom they always held. She was younger by at least two years and when I reached out to touch her I found that my hand passed right through her. Had she ever really been here with me?

AN: Thank you again everyone for your care and patience. It's been a rough couple of months, and your support has been incredible.


	24. A Troubling Past

Escaping Sol

Chapter 24

A Troubling Past

Ranma15177

So as not to leave you hanging, and because it was a daunting chapter all by itself, chapter 24 is ready for your reading pleasure!

Once again, kudos to my spectacular beta, Cullenista, who made this chapter. Period. No, really, because I would have just slid all of this together into one brain numbing chapter without her intervention.

This chapter has a slight depiction of rape. I apologize if this offends, but I had to come up with a reason… and this is the only thing I can rationalize.

I don't own Twilight. Thank you to Stephanie for letting us borrow the characters, on with the show…

BPOV:

Alice, upon seeing the man in front of her, screamed and ran to the corner of the room. She curled protectively over her knees and rocked back and forth. "I don't see nothin' just leave me alone! MOMMA! Come back! Daddy, don't leave me in here with him!" Her voice was thick with a southern accent that sounded almost lyrical despite the words. "I don't see nothin'!"

The "doctor" walked forward with his smirk still in place. "Why do ya'll see things for everyone else and not for me? You know what Mary? I think ya'll 're lyin' to me." He wound his hand into her long hair and pulled her to her feet and I roared at the monster that was hurting my sister. I swiped at him, but he was as ephemeral as air. "I think you're crazy as hell, and everybody knows it but you."

"I don't want to do nothin' with you. The man in the diner is waiting for me and I'm waiting for him. I'm not going to let you do that to me!" He immediately slapped her away from him against the wall and I heard an almost sickening crack and blood dripped from a very human Alice's mouth.

"Ya'h 'er gonna' do what I tell you to, or I'm gonna' lock you away and you'll never meet nobody anywhere!" The awful man advanced on Alice and pinned her between himself and the wall. Her size was a great advantage though, and she somehow got herself out of his arms and back to the corner. I watched in confusion as my sister threw her shoe at the man and missed by feet, breaking the glass out of the cabinet and it scattered across the counter and down onto the floor. "Now look what ya' done! Stupid bitch!"

"NO!" She started screaming, but he covered her mouth with his own and began tearing at her clothes. I stood in horror beside them wishing I could put a stop to what was going on in front of me… but there was no stopping the past. I shut my eyes tight but I could still see. It was like forced mental stereo. I wanted to block it out. I screamed and threw useless clawing hands at Alice's attacker. Nothing I did made any difference.

I realized immediately afterward that because I was locked into Alice's ability I could see the outcome despite my best efforts. The doctor pushed Alice to the floor as he stuffed a scrap of fabric in her mouth and I watched as he forced himself on her. She had tears streaming over her cheeks and her blue eyes were filled with a horrible understanding. She lay there almost docile as he grunted and clawed at her small body. Finally, when he decided that she would be "good" he removed the scrap of her ruined dress and kissed her.

Each time he would push into her I saw her mouth words, and after a fashion I could make them out. Jasper, save me! Jasper, I love you. Jasper. Jasper. Jasper, what should I do? "Jasper!" Finally her voice cried out, and the man slapped her.

She continued to silently call out to her future husband. The "doctor" continued to violate my sister as I felt my eyes strain from a lack of tears. I was sobbing now, crying out to Alice that she should fight back, that she should do anything to get away from him.

As if she could hear me, Alice's hands groped around the floor and a piece of glass from the destroyed cabinet cut into her palm. She wrapped her fingers around the thick shard until it was lodged into her flesh and cutting into bone.

Slick with her blood Alice drove the glass relentlessly into the back and sides of her attacker. He began to scream, but Alice was beyond awareness. She was beyond anything but getting free. "Jasper! SAVE ME! HELP ME! GOD! JASPER!" Her shouts brought banging on the door. "I don't want to go through this alone! GOD, SAVE ME!"

The doctor had long stopped fighting back and was now limp and bleeding freely all over the floor. When someone finally broke into the room there was a flurry of activity and Alice was back to rocking in her corner.

I watched as they accused Alice of going insane. Stripping herself naked and stabbing the "good doctor" who was trying to help her. I watched as she plead over and over for them to save her from imprisonment. I watched as the office at the asylum burned the paperwork from the doctor proving her innocence, the physical proof of her rape. He had done this before. His family got to bury him as a "good man."

To save their good name I watched as her parents gave her up for dead and walked away forever believing the story of the hospital over their own daughter. Her sister, sobbing, and watching with wide eyed disbelief from the back seat of the old car as they drove away from the bars on the window of the asylum. Human Alice screaming and crying as they went. My psychic sister and I watched her mouth the words, "Find him." Had they both been sensitive to the future?

Alice kicked and screamed while they cut off all of her hair and then shaved her bald. I silently cried as they electrocuted her "for her own good." They were making her better all the time according to the nurses. Pain and suffering were my sister's only companions. The image of Jasper began to fade from her mind as she descended into complete madness. Alice refused to eat. My sister was going to die long before anyone could ever turn her into a vampire.

"I believe you." These words from the new doctor were the sweetest song. Alice cried all night, and I cried tearlessly with her.

"Are you going to take me away from here?" Alice had been at the asylum for two years. The first year and a half had been endless torture, but now she had Dr. Nathanial to protect her. He had stopped the electroshock therapy sessions, and talked to her about gifts given by God. Patients were allowed to walk in the gardens. Alice was getting better. Her hair was growing out again.

I screamed when I saw James staring hungrily at her from the other side of the fence. Alice knew he meant her death, and she ran inside and rushed to find Nathanial… banging on his door. "He's going to kill me! I've seen it! SAVE ME! I have to find Jasper! I know what you are. Make me like you, you have to!"

He calmed her and that night they stole from the asylum together… but James was tracking them. Nathanial took Alice to his home, but the evil vampire had followed them to the old antebellum house. The dogwoods swayed with the wind and Alice saw herself dying again and again. The parlor, the kitchen, the bedroom, no room in the house was safe from her bloody end. James was walking down the corridor and coming for her when Nathanial stole my sister away into the forest.

Finally James found and fought with Nathaniel and won, but when he came to claim his prize she was already writhing in the cave at the bottom of the cliff from her change, two days into her new life and useless to him as a food source. He left her there, angry that he'd been thwarted by the old vampire; his diversion was at an end.

On the third endless day, as Lillith held Alice's pain at bay her eyes snapped open, and I was looking at my Alice again. Eyes not blood red… but golden. It was done, and we were on our knees again.

"Bella…" Alice's voice was shaky. Her arms shot out and wrapped around me. If I had been human she would have snapped me in two. I had never witnessed this kind of deep emotional hurt from my sister before. She shook with her sobbing, and I stroked her short hair and rocked her in the way that I pictured Esme might if she'd been here to comfort her.

When the shaking stopped we were not alone. Andrew… but his form seemed to flow like water, and his features were hard to determine, was with us. "Well ladies, I can't help but notice all that pain in your lives. I could make all of that better. I can give you everything you've ever wanted. I can do the impossible.

"Alice… poor little Alice. Always feeling the strain of living in two moments at once, an endless eternity of unadulterated boredom ahead of you regardless of the decisions you make. Even in your human life you were without a moment of quiet. You've always wondered what it would be like to live without the burden of the future haven't you?" His voice was like honey.

I looked over at Alice and she looked confused and angry.

"Bella… your humanity was stolen from you. Your mate has always wanted to grow old with you, and for you to have his children. You could bear them for him. I could give you

both back your lives. Your hearts would beat, you would grow old… and you would die, human." The voice of the creature continued to be sweet and persuasive.

"I don't want anything you might be giving out." Alice snarled.

"You've already been given an incredible gift Alice. I've given you your past. Aren't you pleased? Aren't you happy to know who you are?" Andrew pleaded.

"Lillith took my pain, and you gave it back. Why would I thank you for that?" Alice's voice was filled with venom.

Andrew seemed to dissolve and the face of the doctor was back. "Stupid little bitch!"

I stared transfixed at an image of myself over his shoulder, round with a baby. Edward was incandescent beside, me his cheek pressed against the swell of my stomach as our child grew. I watched as this future began to develop. Edward and I getting older, our children going to school, growing up, having their own kids as we spent our lives together growing ever older and happier.

"Yes… Bella it could all be yours. I could let you give them their hearts desires. You could take Alice's pain… Jasper's pain. Can you imagine Rosalie ripe with Emmett's child? You've seen how much little Alice suffered; think of how much Edward has been through. Think about it. He would be so pleased to see you human again. Edward would want to give you children wouldn't he? If you're going to Hell anyway what does it matter, right? You know that now. This is your future. At least this way you get it all instead of waiting around, incomplete for a decade or a millennium or so when you're torn apart and never get what you want." The voice was saccharine again.

"Bella…" Alice sounded upset. "Don't let yourself get caught up in his lies. You can't get something for nothing. Don't let yourself consider this, not ever. Edward loves you as you are. You know that right? You don't have to sacrifice yourself for us!" He did love me as I was. I did remember that. Did he love me more that way though? Wouldn't Rosalie be happier as a human woman? Wouldn't her joy be complete once she had Emmett's child?

"I…" My voice sounded far away. I came back to the image of myself, my belly swollen with Edward's child; and then I could see it very clearly.

"No… Bella, this isn't meant to be. He's distracting you with my story. He's trying to catch you while you're confused. I'm not in pain anymore Bella. None of us are! I haven't been for a long time. Edward will never know pain again in your presence. It's all he needs!" Alice took my shoulder. She was right. Watching all of that had been painful, and Alice's suffering was my suffering. I didn't have to be in pain though. Japer, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme… and Edward, I could save them all. First though was Alice, I would save her from her feelings; she didn't need to be here. I could be here alone.

Another part of me wanted to stare at the perfect future undisturbed. I wished she would go away and let me look. Alice's voice was shrill and afraid. "Please Bella… I can feel myself being forced out. Don't do this. Don't push me away. Please!" It was my fault that she was hurting like this, all because my sister wanted to share my burden.

I watched myself laughing, human with Edward.

"NO!" Alice tried to hold me, but she was falling away from the room, and then she was gone.

I heard Andrew give a wicked chuckle. "Now… let's talk business."

EPOV:

It felt like the longest five minutes of my life. Alice and Bella lay lifeless as we watched. Lana kept the shield up and Cain kept the battle going. We waited as David stared… I watched through his eyes as the darkness grew. I watched with fear as my wife's light was eaten from the inside out.

Alice broke free from the darkness. I saw her buttery yellow soul get ripped from what was left of the white and thrown back into her body.

"NO!" Alice sat up and raced to Bella's side. "You can't! You can't let him win! Bella!" She shook my wife in my arms and I couldn't help the look of panic that sprung to my face at her words. "Tell her, Edward!" My pixie sister shrilled at me. "Tell her you love her the way she is! Tell her!"

My eyes grew wide at the implication. She was killing herself because she believed that I wanted her to be human? The words sprung instantly from my mouth, "I love you Bella. Please don't die. Please stay with me, just as you are!" I shook with fear and watched as the darkness continued to swallow her soul. I whispered into her ear. "You made me a promise Bella. You promised me forever."

Her eyes fluttered for the first time in minutes. "Edward…" Her voice was reedy. The darkness had almost destroyed her light.

"Listen to me. We were put here, just like we are… to be together… just like this. Don't let him confuse you." I pled with her sightless eyes. "Alice, what did he do to make her give up like this?"

"He gave her my life's story. You know how other people's pain affects her. Then he showed her this vision of you both human and having babies. He reminded her of Rosalie's pain. She's willing to give up anything to make you happy, and she knows what we've all suffered. Edward, what if he wins?" Alice asked as I looked into my wife's face.

"Not like this Bella, nothing that he can grant you will ever be real. Listen to me!" I shook her shoulders and her eyes fluttered for a moment before she went rigid.

In a strange flash of light I watched as the darkness swallowed the last of my wife's light. I watched as she was consumed completely. I had lost her. I felt the howl of agony start in my heart, but it never made it into my throat.

"Well done, Bella." David spoke quietly. I felt my hands shake in fury. Was he mocking her? She didn't deserve that. "Look boy. Look through my eyes and see the light at the center. She's taken complete control."

I watched in fascination as the darkness cracked and broke and fell apart completely obliterated. Her eyes fluttered and my wife smiled at me.

"Oh, Bella!" My mother threw her arms around my wife and sobbed tearlessly. I did the same. Alice stroked her hair. Rosalie blinked and walked away. I heard the conflict in her mind.

"Esme! Thank goodness everyone is alright!" My wife hugged our mother back and all the while her eyes seemed locked onto my own. "Edward… I had no idea. I didn't know. I mean… I knew, but I didn't really know. I'm so sorry. I'm just…" Her face looked somehow even whiter than it should be, and her voice shook with emotion.

"I don't understand," I admitted. I rested my lips on her forehead and closed my eyes, taking in her scent. It was a wonder to me that I could do this without the hunger and I felt that when we had left all of this behind us, I would lie with her for days, drawing in every aspect of her essence.

My wife's hand secured itself to my shoulder and she held me closer. "You were hurting, and I just let you," Bella accused herself. "I've been so selfish, but somehow, while I was watching I understood that the only things he was letting me feel was the darkness. There was so much love, always. So why couldn't I ever feel anything but pain? Then Alice came, thank you Alice…"

"No problem… mostly," Alice mumbled.

My wife continued, "There was no joy there either, just pauses in misery. I couldn't ever picture Alice that way, even if she was locked up. No offence Alice…"

"None taken… mostly," Alice mumbled with a smile.

"So when he showed these images of joy they seemed so… I don't know… fake. Like they weren't just impossible, they were kind of corrupted. Edward, I need you too. I wouldn't have let him take me. I know what's in your heart. Now, I just know everything else." Bella admitted with a guilty chagrined look. "I wish I would have heard it from you. I hate him."

"You shouldn't hate, Bella." Emmett poked my wife in the ribs as he taunted her.

"How do you feel?" Carlisle prompted.

"Better." Bella spoke the word slowly, as if she were doing a self diagnostic.

"All that lingering awful despair and fear is gone." Jasper commented.

"Yes, she has completely destroyed his ridiculous blood pact." Lillith spoke over our huddled family. "You are free now to help us as we continue," spoken as if this had been her plan all along, although I really doubted that any of this could have been pre-planned.

'_Edward, can you see to Rosalie? I think she would rather speak with you than me at the moment. I promise to watch over Bella with my life. Can I hold her for you?'_ Carlisle spoke in my mind.

"I would rather…" I began. I didn't want to leave her side. I ran my fingers through her hair and breathed her scent deep into my lungs.

"_You know I wouldn't ask if I wasn't worried. She may be difficult at times, but she's your sister, and she needs you," _I nodded reluctantly to my father's thoughts. He was right. I looked up and saw that Rosalie looked angry and confused, her thoughts were just as jumbled. I sighed in defeat.

I would not allow myself to be gone long. "I'll be right back…" I kissed my love, trailing my fingers over her skin and left her in the arms of our family. "Rose?" I spoke quietly and quickly.

"She was willing to die just to make me happy?" Rosalie's voice broke at the end.

I clarified, "We don't really know what her intentions were. She may have just been getting Alice to safety. You know how Alice loves drama. Bella admitted that everything seemed fake and wrong. I'm sure even if there was a moment of deliberation it wouldn't have…"

Rosalie cut me off mid sentence, "No… I know Bella by now. You tell your wife that she's only responsible for two people's happiness in this family and I'm not one of the two." Rosalie faintly growled.

I appreciated her anger. I was angry too, but I didn't want to dwell on it. I chuckled as I defended my wife's actions, "It's in her nature to think of others. I'm glad that she's still like that. I'm glad she thinks of you too. She has a big heart Rosalie, it's part of the reason I love her so completely."

"I don't know if I would have been able to do what she did today. She gave up everything I've ever wanted twice now Edward. Am I weak? Do I have no will at all to think of anyone but myself?" Rosalie asked with a pained expression.

"I think you'd be surprised if you gave yourself a little more credit Rosalie. I can't see you selling your soul to the devil for your humanity if it hurt everyone else, and it would hurt Emmett. You would never hurt anyone on purpose. Just be careful with your words right now. I wouldn't want to lose you." I admonished my sister.

My blonde sister nodded her head and thought about her confusion while she rejoined the family, and after a short second I did the same. I needed to be back in Bella's arms.

"Well done Bella!" Lillith praised as I drew my wife into a standing position out of the crowd that had formed around us.

"Now, we can move forward." Cain said through his clenched teeth.

"We already destroyed Andrew. What more can we do?" Emmett questioned.

"I saw his arm crawling off in that direction earlier…" my wife ventured.

"I thought you had that covered Edward!" Rosalie said with a frown.

"I was a bit distracted," I intoned dryly.


	25. Ye Who Enter Here

Escaping Sol

Chapter 25

Ye Who Enter Here

Ranma15177

AN:

I promise this is all going to blow up soon. Lucifer has a strategy, but we're going to have to wait and see if it's going to work for him!

I've been writing on and off for a few months and I took some time out to write a one shot to clean the palate for these stories. I'm going to be posting Emmett pretty soon after this chapter, so I hope that everyone who is waiting on that story can be patient a little longer. Although, if you're a fan of either of these stories you learned patience long ago.

Thank you to my beta Cullenista! She's got the mad skillz! : ) See? Skills with a z! That gives her super secret beta abilities! She also has an incredible story "Blue Moon Over Manka's" with lots of love, and characterization, and angst-y goodness. Love on her.

I don't own Twilight still… but after all these chapters I kinda' feel like I'm one with them.

BPOV:

Edward pulled me to my feet when I was ready to move, but he refused to let go of me just yet. I took comfort in his presence, and borrowed strength from the deep looks of love that shone in his eyes whenever they met mine.

I couldn't help but feel absolutely lost in my love for Edward at the moment. I couldn't be anything less… not after seeing the depths of his sacrifice. He had done so much for me. He would have forced himself to live in hellish entropy just for the sake of my human happiness.

Edward seemed like he wanted to talk, but at the same time knew that it would be impossible until all of this was ended. Truthfully I had a lot I wanted to say to him at the moment as well. When this was over… and we were safe and free again… well, it didn't matter right now. Right now we needed to focus on the fight.

Carlisle looked into my face. "Are you going to be alright to continue? Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm fine, I think," I answered Carlisle as best I could. We had no way to gauge if I was healthy. No life signs to take. I looked up at my husband, and he held me impossibly closer. I imagined that he would be thinking along the same lines.

We started forward almost as if we were one moving body. My family and I. There was a part of me that understood now that this is how it was meant to be. Fate stated that I was made to be part of this family. I was the other half of Edward's soul… Carlisle and Esme's daughter; sister to Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett. I was a Cullen from the moment I was born into this world, and I'd only been marking time on the planet until they'd entered my life.

This was my destiny. This was who I was. The girl that had been Bella Swan might as well have been born on their doorstep.

Esme would have loved that.

Edward's hand was in my own and I squeezed lightly. I was afraid to talk about this revelation yet in case we lost. He would torment himself unnecessarily. We wouldn't lose now though. I couldn't imagine it.

"We need to find him again." Lillith seemed disappointed with the thought of seeking out the monster, especially when he'd been so quick to out himself before. Now… who was he? How do we even begin to look? There were so many!

"Where do we look? Will he be the same?" Emmett's thoughts mirrored my own questions.

"He has already suffered a defeat. He'll look to draw power from someone who is lost. He will look for corruption. Evil. He'll try to latch onto that and gain strength," David bit out. He seemed to be concentrating very hard now. "I don't see him yet, but that doesn't mean he's gone. We'll most likely find him quickly once the shield falls.

"Is Lana weakening?" Esme seemed concerned and looked beyond me to the woman herself. Never worried for herself, always for the circumstances of others.

"Not at all, but we must face our destiny, in all things," Akira looked deeply into his mate's eyes and spoke again, "Lana must let the shield fall if we are ever to meet it."

We stood to the front of the shield now, the wolves loping forward at intervals to our sides. Cain would, without thinking it seemed, touch the fur of the albino wolf. He was ready to say the word that would release the fighters from their vicious battle. If I had adrenaline it would have been shooting through me. If I had a beating heart it would be thundering. As it was, I could taste the tension in the stale air around me.

"I love you…" Edward started to speak.

"I know," I interrupted. "Tell me when this is over. Tell me everything when this is done."

"I will," his whisper was a sweet promise. His lips… to God's ear, or so I hoped with everything I had.

"Drop it," Lillith commanded.

"STOP!" Cain roared. "Be free!" There was silence for all of a second and then there were shaking heads and murmurs of confusion. A few vampires continued their feral rending.

I could feel the riot of power all around me. I calmed my mind and tried to let serenity drown the insistent pull of my catalogue.

"My Children of the Night, pure evil is here amongst us. True darkness, the kind that causes even the sweetest of purity to wither and die if given the opportunity… has taken root in the world. You were all brought here to fight that darkness… or fight for it. Give up now, those of you that have given into the madness, in the name of God.

"We will not judge you. We will not kill you. He has given you free will, and you can decide now to fight for Lucifer, and lose the rest of your soul, or to gain back your freedom and live as we were meant to. God will grant you peace. I will grant you only death if you meet me on this field today, and any promises that Lucifer has made you will be met in the fiery pits of Hell," Lillith concluded with a snarl.

It all sounded a little dramatic to me, almost like I was reading some kind of outlandish religious horror book. How could this really happen? How could this be real? It seemed a little strange for me to question this reality though considering that I was a blood drinking, power stealing vampire now.

"There is no one here that will answer your call Lillith." A voice that I recognized at once as Jane's rose above the confusion. Edward absolutely snarled with rage next to me and I held his now completely tense body against my own. I understood that it was my newborn strength that kept him from any drastic action.

Jane continued to speak in a taunting tone, "We have been promised more than peace… we have been promised power. My Alec and I have been promised to rule this world. You will not keep me from that. No one will keep me from my destiny."

"Yes little one." I heard a familiar voice confirm. It was the reedy voice of one of the Volturi, Marcus. "You have been promised much. Now come and take it. I give it to you willingly, if you come to me."

Jane contested, "You would never give up that which you take so much delight in. You love your power… even though it isn't real, even though you are just a figure head for these gentle creatures from Nod."

"You are misjudging them little Jane. They are not gentle… and they bring with them a power that you can't possibly understand," Caius said with deep caution in his voice.

"Yes, they bring swords of fire, and shields of light. The righteous wrath of God is at their side. You'll never be allowed to leave this place if you continue, sweet Jane." Aro's voice sounded quiet and reedy as well. Somehow… less like him. "Where is Alec, Jane? When was the last time you saw him?"

"He gathered the forces that I will use to kill you. He is on his way," Jane argued… and a path cleared between her and the masters of the Volturi.

"No… you will never see him again. He is already gone. I killed him myself," Marcus taunted as he walked forward.

This was news to me. When had he had time to run off and kill Alec?

Aro seemed to walk unnaturally forward then, like a puppet on strings. "There is no reason for all of us to fight here today. You may still back down. You may still live," Aro cautioned.

When the other two brothers walked forward in an unnatural way a horrible realization began to dawn on me, but I didn't get the opportunity to voice it with Jane's terrible growl resounding over everything, followed by more of her angry words.

"To live forever as your servant, Aro? No more will we live in the shadows of the world, in the darkness of the sewers, in the cloak of darkness. There is no God, no Devil, but there is supremacy. I think I'll take my chances with Lucifer. He's a million times more powerful than you and your empty justice," Jane snarled.

It seemed as if she were becoming angry and frustrated. I realized then that she was trying to access her power… I could feel it flaring and testing and shooting. It didn't touch any of the Volturi lords. It was as if she were aiming at nothing.

Caius held up a small roll of paper, and for some reason that indistinct item made me want to run. I'd never felt fear weave through every part of my body in such a thorough licking flame. Jane immediately fell to her knees and stopped trying to harm them. "Your fate is sealed. We no longer require your feeble services."

"We have finally come to the end of the game. You have failed to impress me," Marcus took over speaking as if Caius were part of him.

The three Volturi lords spontaneously looked away from Jane as Marcus spoke and like one of those magicians with flash paper the little roll burst into flames. At the same time, Jane did as well.

There was nothing that they did that all three princes didn't do and a horrible realization began to dawn on me.

"NO! MASTER! I WAS LOYAL! I BUILT YOU AN ARMY!" Jane cried out as the flames engulfed her body. She writhed toward the Volturi with open arms "PLEASE, NO!"

I heard a hiss from behind me. David spoke quietly afterward, confirming my worst fear, "I have found him, my lady."

Lillith snarled.

Edward quickly joined in with a roar of his own, although I wasn't sure if it was because he'd been denied his own revenge, or if it was because of David's epiphany.

I stared in open mouthed shock. This was not what I had been expecting at all. I would never have seen this coming. Marcus, Caius, and Aro were no longer our allies. How would we ever be able to defeat them? How had they been taken over by that monster? They were three people! What would those who were loyal to the Volturi do now?

What would the others do? Those who had pledged themselves to Jane and Alec? I understood now… Marcus had not killed Alec. It was Andrew. He had done exactly as one would think the devil would do. He was filling them with doubt for their chosen masters. There were some that would lose their faith in Jane and Alec's dream but continue to fight against the Volturi. The rest would cleave back to their old masters.

Of course, this is what he wanted. Lucifer was going to confuse them. There were those here who believed that their masters were good and wise. Perhaps they would be confused into fighting for the wrong side. They were used to following the edicts of their leaders… would they take orders from the vampires from Nod? I wasn't entirely certain.

The Volturi princes were many things… but they weren't truly evil. Mostly… at least… not until now. They didn't have to keep me alive for Edward when Jane brought me to them. They didn't have to spare our lives before when Edward had come to them to kill himself. They could have just as easily killed him the instant he had asked.

"This is unexpected," Cain spoke with concern. "Not to mention ill timed."

"How will we ever win against both of them? There are those with unswerving loyalty… they are not evil Lillith. It would never be fair for them to be condemned without understanding the consequences," David voiced my own concerns.

"If we try to control them… they may rebel against us," Priya spoke with a sigh. "They have never known us."

"This is our fault… we have stayed away for too long. Priya is right, they do not know us. They do not have a reason to believe us. We will have to find a way to convince their hearts of our intentions," Lillith whispered.

"How will you do that?" Carlisle asked with honest concern. "We stand with wolves against those who would believe them to be our mortal enemies. They will have no reason to think you more trustworthy than those they have followed for centuries."

"Bella, can you keep an ability locked without being overwhelmed?" Jasper asked me with a quiet fierceness.

"I can try," I answered. "What do you need me to do?"

"I see, yes Jasper that will give us an advantage," Edward interrupted.

Everyone looked at my husband with annoyance.

"Jasper?" Carlisle prompted.

"Bella needs to keep the powers from the Volturi princes. These are invaluable skills, an asset to us, but one heck of a hindrance if left on their side," my tactical brother explained.

"I agree," Lillith concurred. "Bella, can you do it?"

"I'll do my best," I replied with conviction. The concentration was coming easier every time. I picked them out easily… old and strong. I could touch anyone around me and know their every thought. I was able to see the strands of connection shimmering from person to person. It was really distracting. Especially the beautiful threads that entwined my family and the silver sparkling cable that connected me to Edward.

Aro and Marcus snarled at me and Edward crouched down in protection and I imagined that the look he gave them was vicious, threatening.

Lillith put her hand on my shoulder and we both quickly found out there was a tear in my sleeve. I reeled. It was too much, too many thoughts. I knew that touching ancients was a bad idea, Aro had been hard to handle, but some of her mind was almost alien. We both pulled away and I couldn't help crying out.

The second after it happened I knew a lot of things all at once but there were three that I was distinctly sure of. Firstly, I was now certain that Lillith was exactly what she said. Secondly, there was a chance, and I didn't know how great it was, that we would fail. It was an eventuality that they had prepared for. They had said their goodbyes. Lastly, I learned the plan that had brought us here… and now I knew how much they were depending on our family to save everyone.

EPOV:

My wife cried out sharply and I turned in time to see Lillith pull away from Bella. I reached out to her to find out what had happened and I watched as Bella literally yanked herself back from me, and felt the sting of rejection.

Bella shook her head at me and said, "Don't!"

"What's wrong?" Emmett looked for an immediate threat. "Did someone hit you?"

"No… I just want to give Edward the opportunity to tell me things the old fashioned way," Bella explained.

I could have smacked my forehead for all of the stupidity that I felt. She was like Aro now. Able to see every thought I'd ever had. She wanted some secrets left between us to share.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Rosalie gasped over my shoulder, "This is insane. Before there were a few hundred other vampires on our side, but you can't expect us to fight all of them! We're all going to die!"

"Yes. It will be glorious," Cain snarled.

"I'm not going out there and neither is Emmett. Come on, let's go," Rosalie held out her hand to her husband.

Emmett shook his head sadly and spoke with remorse, "I'm sorry Rose. I can't leave now. This isn't about fighting. I know you think it is for me, but it isn't. I love you, and that's why I'm staying. I'm fighting for us, for this. Our family needs us now more than ever. I know you're scared, but guys like that feed on fear and doubt. Let it go now and let's do this for each other."

"That's really touching… now if anyone would like to look at what's in front of them…" David and the rest of the vampires from Nod had taken on a fierce stance next to the wolves who were also crouched and ready to spring.

I read the frenzy of the minds around me. There was uncertainty, and confusion in the Volturi. I looked over at Bella and questioned, "How potent are their ties to each other? Can we convince them?"

"Some are very weak… some are stronger. What are we going to do?" My wife looked above my head to Jasper and Cain.

Jacob's mind answered her, _'Time to bust some skulls people. I don't want any of you to die out there. If you think you are… take as many of them with you as you can. Embry, Quill, I want you to keep an eye out for the Cullen and Nod covens. Make sure we can see them all the time. If any of them go down I want to know about it. Leah… if I die you take over and fight like the demon I know you are.'_

Leah laughed with a flashing of her enormous teeth, but said nothing for once.

For a second Jacob's mind flashed to the albino wolf next to him and I saw a glimpse of stark white meeting light brown. He was remembering the exact feel of her skin and the brush of her lips. The entire pack seemed to look over at him all at once. Jacob's voice was quiet, _'I'm sorry, but if you've got something you want to mull over, I think this might be the time to do it, you may not get another chance.'_

He was right. What if I had already experienced the last touch and not savored it as I should? What if she died and left me here alone? Or, what if it were one of my family members that were lost? What if they were to perish? I looked at them all as we heard the Volturi begin to grumble confusedly.

I looked at My Bella again at the thought, the fear churning in a way that was reminiscent of the description that she herself had given me recently of nausea. I had never known fear until I'd met Bella… true fear, or true anger, or true love. She was the one who unlocked my very soul. I knew it now with everything that I was. My wife was the embodiment of my life essence.

Every aspect of her was beautiful as she stood looking out over our hopeless situation. Her hair plastered with rain, her face creased with concentration. Her body, which I'd not had enough time yet to worship.

My wife had an eldritch and innocent exquisiteness that sang to my very long dormant heart, and made me into something better than I was. I may have been a fiend when we'd first met, but she had rescued me from the depths of my own monstrous prison.

Every inch of her beautiful form was burned into my perfect memory, but it wasn't enough. I wanted my hands on her. I wanted the opportunity to shower her in love and give her as much of myself as I could. We had waited to give ourselves physically to each other at my suggestion and then her insistence, but it simply hadn't been enough time yet.

So, I would have to defend her with everything that I was. I could never lose her now. There was a part of me that was certain that if she ceased to exist I would simply die. We were an extension of each other's salvation. I would defend them all as best I could, but she would be my priority… my most precious of commodities. My love, my life, my everything from the moment she stood downwind and her blood sang for me.

"My friends…" Aro called in an authoritative but whispy voice that wasn't his own disrupting my thoughts and bringing me back to myself. "We are gathered here to dispatch evil. It is as the fair Lillith has said. Unfortunately, there are those amongst us that would endanger our world. They live with the intent to make humans their slaves. We will not allow all of our peace to be lost to their foolishness.

"No one can be trusted," Aro continued. "We cannot know who is our enemy and who is not. To wait now would be prudent. To wait and sort out the righteous from the evil would be the correct course of action."

"What trickery is this?" Cain muttered with a look of confusion.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked me with an equally confused look. _'Can you hear them son?' _

I listened intently for the tenor of their minds and failed to find Caius, Marcus, or Aro amidst the sea of babble. I concentrated and focused stretching my mind to seek the voices I knew to be theirs but heard nothing. I couldn't seem to read them, no matter what I did.

I grit my teeth and tried again, surprised when Esme came to rub gently at my back. I tried harder and finally I reached them, but it was scattered and unfocused. I had once told Bella that minds could be like radios, if that was the case it was like getting reception at the bottom of a ravine… but at least they were still FM.

I shook my head and raised my shoulders in a shrug before answering, "I don't know Carlisle. They aren't really easy to read right now, and I'm getting the impression that Caius, Marcus, and Aro aren't actually in control of themselves at all."

"Their connection is different… The first time I saw it they were connected, but it was comfortable and natural. Now they have this strange jarring other form standing over them. I look at them and see him too," Bella announced to the group.

Jasper stepped forward and spoke with a sense of authority, "Why wouldn't they do this? Why wouldn't Lucifer just wander back to Volterra now that the city is ostensibly his? Is there a reason that he hasn't tried to just take them before?"

The two Russians looked to each other and smiled almost venomously and began speaking. I translated to Bella and anyone else who didn't speak the language, "Volterra is a holy city. It is watched over by God, and therefore was unapproachable by Lucifer. In a vessel he is capable, but they must be strong to get past the various holy relics. Only the brothers are strong enough and have enough knowledge of the secrets to be useful. With them in his command the city is lost if we let them leave here."

"It was never an option," Lillith growled. "The brothers seldom leave Volterra for a reason. We must come up with a strategy." She looked between Cain and my brother Jasper.

Alice took that moment to gasp as she saw a horrible vision. I watched as pyres of flame dotted the landscape; scraps and body parts burning horribly everywhere around us, friends and foes alike. As her vision broadened I noticed the ravaged corpses of wolves and there at the feet of the brothers was my poor family destroyed as I had never imagined. Torn and shattered. Only two lay still and perfect, myself and Bella. Eyes devoid of life, she held me against her, and somehow I knew that despite being in one piece, I was dead too.

Alice's eyes met mine and I growled low. Her voice shook as she began to speak, "Edward…"

"Don't!" I warned. "We don't know what is real and what isn't. Don't put stock in anything you see Alice."

"What did she see Edward?" Esme demanded. "Alice? What did you see?"

"Alice!" I warned.

"We die. We all die. That's what I see. That's all I can see. Every avenue, every decision we make leads down the same path. I've never seen such horror. I've never had to see all of you dead so many times in so many ways. We're going to fail unless the path we are on changes dramatically," Alice's voice faltered and died.

"Again… a strategy!" Lillith demanded.

"Bella? Is there anyone out there that can warp perception? Someone who can make people see things?" Jasper demanded.

I watched her silently as she seemed to search. She looked troubled and confused. I wanted to hold her and was angry that I could not. I could reach out with my voice though, and the more she struggled the more I realized that it would have to do. "Bella, I'm here with you."

She smiled up at me and seemed to concentrate again before she spoke, "Yes, but it's extremely limited. She has to touch them to convey her mind. It's not going to work for us."

"Can you expand on abilities?" Carlisle questioned. "Is there a way to heighten…"

We immediately all looked to Akira.

"Perfect!" Jasper crowed. "Now, we can take Marcus' ability and show them that the ties of their masters are false! Take both abilities and use them together with Akira backing you up!"

There were less dead people wandering around in Alice's vision, or more dead people wandering around, if you will. We weren't yet amongst the living, but I could have a little hope.


End file.
